•1 


IN  MEMORIAM 
BERNARD  MOSES 


fltii  Dnttetic 


A  TBffATISE  < 


ON  THE 


HISTORY  AND  MANAGEMENT 


or 


(ta  wnM  uni  Ito»tir 


BY  KEY.  EDMUND  SAUL  DIXON,  A.M. 

HECTOR  OF  INTWOOD-'WITH-KESWICK,  NORFOLK. 


WITH   LARGE   ADDITIONS, 


BY    J.   J.   KERR,    M.D. 


ILLUSTRATED  WITH  SIXTY-FIVE  ORIGBNAL   PORTRAITS,  ENGRAVED 
EXPRESSLY  FOR  THIS  WORK. 


FOURTH  EDITION,  REVISED. 

NEW  -YORK: 

C.    M.    SAXTON    AND    COMPANY, 

AGRICULTURAL  BOOK  PUBLISHERS, 
No.  140  FULTON  STREET, 

1857. 


10  ^;( 

several  kinds  .'if  •£hangl?ae&;* -  Giveldemnd,  and  other 
varieties,  not  therein  specifically  'noticed.  In  addition 
to  this,  there  were  wanting  some  remarks  on  the  history 
and  method  of  making  Capons,  a  practice  which  Mr. 
Dixon  seems,  without  sufficient  reasons,  inclined  to  con- 
demn. There  have  been  omitted,  also,  certain  portions, 
not  deemed  necessary  or  interesting  to  the  American 
Fancier.  « 

In  order  that  the  reader  may  know  how  deeply  Mr. 
Dixon  is  interested  in  the  prosecution  of  this  and  kin- 
dred branches  of  Natural  History,  and  how  far  his  views 
and  statements  may  consequently  be  relied  on,  I  take  the 
liberty  of  extracting  the  following  from  a  letter  I  received 
from  him  twelve  months  ago.  He  says,  "  I  beg  to  thank 
you  very  sincerely  for  your  friendly  offers  of  assistance, 

and  shall  not  hesitate  to  avail  myself  of  them 

As  soon  as  the  second  edition  of  my  book  is  finished, 
which  .will  be  much  enlarged,  [the  second  is  the  one  used 
in  preparing  this^]  I  propose  setting  about  a  second 
volume  on  Domesticated  and  Captive  Birds,  to  comprise 
the  Fancy  Pigeons,  Guans,  Curassows,  Gold  and  Silver 

*  The  Editor  is  quite  confident  that  the  Fowl  described  in  English 
Treatises  on  Poultry,  as  the  Cochin  China,  is,  when  pure,  identical 
with  our  thorough-bred  Shanghaes. — He  avails  himself  of  this  occa- 
sion to  say,  that  though,  in  the  main,  he  accords  with  the  views  and 
statements  of  his  kind  and  valued  correspondents,  herein  recorded; 
yet  he  would  not  be  understood  as  agreeing  with  them  in  every  par- 
ticular. 


PREFACE.  11 

Pheasants,  etc.,  respecting  which,  any  particulars  of 
their  condition  and  cultivation  in  the  New  World  may 
be  useful  to  me.  I  am  daily  expecting  to  receive  from 
a  nobleman,  a  present  of  Passenger,  Senegal,  and  other 

Pigeons,  to  observe  their  habits  in  confinement 

We  have  here  Fowls  nearly,  if  not  quite  answering  to 
all  those  you  describe.  At  the  great  Birmingham  Show, 
last  December,  (1849,)  at  which  I  had  the  honour  to  act 
as  one  of  the  judges,  there  were  several  such.  I  pre- 
sume that  you  have  good  Cattle  and  Poultry  Shows  in 
the  United  States." 

Mr.  Dixon  is,  from  local  circumstances,  a  man  of  more 
leisure  than  the  Established  Clergy  usually  are ;  and 
his  position,  taste,  and  learning,  afford  him  every  means 
of  cultivating  those  branches  of  Natural  History  to 
which  his  inclination  has  led  him.  We  have,  therefore, 
in  the  present  treatise,  so  far  as  Tie  is  concerned,  all 
that  can  be  expected,  on  such  a  subject,  from  a  man  of 
learning,  taste,  and  experience.  As  for  myself,  I  have 
little  to  say,  farther  than  that  mine  has  been  a  conge- 
nial and  pleasing  task ;  the  subject  is  one  to  which, 
from  early  association  and  inclination,  my  attention 
has  been  long  directed.  I  have  had  my  boyish  experi- 
ments, and  the  more  mature  trials  of  my  manhood,  on 
many  of  the  systems  which  I  have  since  seen  detailed 
in  the  writings  of  the  learned ;  and  it  is  to  the  result 
of  what  I  have  found  best  in  each  of  these,  that  I,  in 


12  PREFACE. 

the  following  pages,  would  wish  to  direct  the  attention 
of  those  who  now  have,  or  desire  to  have  a  Poultry- 
house.  I  have  consulted  with  many  eminent  and  ex- 
perienced individuals  on  the  subject,  and  have  freely 
added  to  the  work  whatever  I  thought  adapted  to  ren- 
der it  more  valuable  as  a  practical  guide  in  the  selec- 
tion, breeding,  and  management  of  Domestic  and  Orna- 
mental Poultry. 

Of  those  to  whom  I  am  chiefly  indebted,  I  would 
gratefully  mention  Mr.  Nolan,  of  Dublin ;  Dr.  Bennett, 
of  Plymouth ;  Mr.  Brown,  of  New  York ;  David  Tag- 
gar  t,  Esq.,  of  Northumberland,  Pa. ;  Geo.  P.  Burnham, 
Esq.,  Dr.  E.  Wight,  H.  L.  Devereux,  Esq.,  and  Mr. 
Morse,  of  Boston ;  Mr.  Blake,  of  Mass. ;  and  Mr.  E. 
R.  Cope,  of  Philadelphia. 

The  portraits  were  drawn,  chiefly  from  nature,  and, 
for  the  most  part,  under  my  own  supervision,  by  Mr. 
Croome,  of  Philadelphia,  whose  excellence  as  an  artist, 
is  too  well  known  to  require  a  word  of  commendation. 

J.  J.  KERR. 

Philadelphia,  February  18*,  1851. 


The  Editor  avails  himself  of  this  opportunity  to  inform  his 
friends  and  correspondents,  that  on  and  after  the  first  day  of  March 
ensuing,  he  will  make  the  city  of  New  York  his  residence,  where  he 
hopes  often  to  hear  from  them,  and  especially  from  those  who  take 
pleasure  in  the  cultivation  and  observation  of  "Ornamental  and 
Domestic  Poultry." 


MR.  DIXOFS  PREFACE 

TO  THE  FIRST  EDITION.- 

(CONDENSED.) 

THE  history  of  the  present  volume  is  very  simple, 
and,  it  may  be,  runs  parallel  with  that  of  many  other 
works  on  higher  subjects.  The  author,  with  his  wife 
(now  removed  from  worldly  trouble)  and  his  child,  were 
living  in  a  small  suburban  house,  that  had  a  little  back- 
garden  attached  to  it.  As  a  harmless  amusement,  they 
procured  a  few  Fowls  to  keep,  although  totally  ignorant 
of  their  ways  and  doings.  In  aid  of  this  ignorance, 
books  were  procured — to  little  purpose.  The  difficulty 
of  obtaining  instruction  from  others  led  to  closer  obser- 
vation on  our  own  part,  and  a  more  eager  grasp  at  the 
required  knowledge.  By  degrees,  a  few  water-fowl  were 
added  to  the  collection  ;  but  the  only  watering-places  on 
the  spot  were  tubs  and  milk-pans.  A  neighbour,  how- 
ever, obligingly  permitted  the  flock  of  strange  Fowl  to 
be  driven  to  a  small  pond  a  few  score  yards  off.  They 
throve  and  duly  increased ;  but  still,  little  help  was  to 
be  had  from  books.  Encyclopaedias,  though  in  them  the 
Natural  History  department  is  almost  always  well  exe- 
cuted, were  little  satisfactory.  "Anser,  see  Goose," 
"  Goose,  see  Anser,"  is  scarcely  an  exaggeration  of  what 
often  fell  out.  Several  current  Poultry-books  were  pur- 

2  13 


14  PREFACE     TO 

chased,  which  proved  to  be  compilations  of  matter,  valu- 
able, indeed,  in  the  hands  of  an  editor  practically  ac- 
quainted with  his  subject ;  but  these  works  are  full  of 
errors,  grossly  evident  even  to  learners,  and  of  contra- 
dictions that  must  strike  any  attentive  reader,  even 
though  he  had  never  seen  a  feathered  creature  in  his  life. 

But  a  student  is  sometimes  the  best  teacher  of  any 
branch  of  knowledge,  as  far  as  he  has  himself  advanced 
in  it,  because  he  has  a  fresh  recollection  of  the  ques- 
tions which  gave  him  the  most  trouble  to  solve ;  and 
therefore  notes  were  made,  mentally,  and  on  paper,  from 
time  to  time.  It  was  afterwards  encouragingly  sug- 
gested that  the  publication  of  them  might  be  ventured 
upon,  as  being  possibly  acceptable  to  people  requiring 
such  information.  They  were  offered  to  the  editor  of  the 
Grardener's  Chronicle,  readily  accepted,  favourably  re- 
ceived by  the  readers  of  that  valuable  paper — a  class  of 
persons  whose  good  opinion  I  must  think  it  an  honour 
to  have  obtained — and  the  reader  now  holds  in  his  hands 
the  entire  results  of  my  present  experience  in  that  de- 
partment of  Natural  History,  in  addition  to  what  has 
been  already  published  in  the  Agricultural  G-azette.  It 
is  hoped  that  the  need  of  some  attempt  of  the  kind,  from 
some  quarter,  will  conciliate  a  lenient  criticism  of  the 
many  errors  and  deficiencies  with  which  the  author  may 
doubtless  be  chargeable,  whatever  pains  he  may  have 
taken  to  guard  against  them. 

Poultry  has  been  too  much  undervalued  as  a  means 
of  study  and  a  field  of  observation.  Insignificant,  and, 
to  us,  valueless  wild  animals,  brought  from  a  distance, 
about  whose  history  and  habits  we  can  learn  little  or  no- 
thing, are  received  with  respectful  attention  by  men  of 
education  and  ability,  are  embalmed  in  spirits,  treasured 


THE    PIEST    EDITION.  15 

in  museums,  and  portrayed  by  artists ;  but  a  class  of 
creatures  inferior  to  few  on  the  face  of  the  earth  in 
beauty — useful,  companionable,  of  great  value  in  an  eco- 
nomical point  of  view — are  disregarded  and  disdained.  It 
is  possible  that  any  one  claiming  to  be  considered  as  an 
educated  gentleman,  may  be  thought  to  have  done  a 
bold  thing  in  publishing  a  book  on  Poultry,  and  giving 
his  real  name  on  the  title  page.  Moubray,  who  has 
written,  perhaps,  the  best  modern  treatise  on  the  sub- 
ject, only  ventured  to  meet  the  public  criticism  under 
the  shelter  of  an  assumed  title. 

But  some  very  important  speculations  respecting  or- 
ganic life,  and  the  history  of  the  animated  races  now  in- 
habiting this  planet,  are  closely  connected  with  the 
creatures  we  retain  in  domestication,  and  can  scarcely 
be  studied  so  well  in  any  other  field.  Poultry,  living 
under  our  very  roof,  and,  by  the  rapid  succession  of  their 
generations,  affording  a  sufficient  number  of  instances 
for  even  the  short  life  of  man  to  give  time  to  take  some 
cognisance  of  their  progressive  succession, — poultry  af- 
ford the  best  possible  subjects  for  observing  the  trans- 
mission or  interruption  of  hereditary  forms  and  instincts. 

I  shall,  no  doubt,  at  the  first  glance,  be  pronounced 
rash,  as  soon  as  I  am  perceived  to  quit  the  plain  task  of 
observing,  for  the  more  adventurous  one  of  speculating 
upon  what  I  have  observed.  I  can  only  say  that  the 
conclusion  to  which  I  have  arrived  respecting  what  is 
called  the  "  origin"  of  our  domestic  races,  has  been,  to 
my  own  mind,  irresistible,  having  begun  the  investiga- 
tion with  a  bias  towards  what  I  must  call  the  wild  theory, 
although  so  fashionable  of  late,  that  our  tame  breeds  or 
varieties  are  the  result  of  cross-breeding  between  undo- 
mesticated  animals,  fertile  inter  se.  It  will  be  found,  I 


16  PREFACE     TO 

imagine,  on  strict  inquiry,  that  the  most  careful  breed- 
ing will  only  fix  and  make  prominent  certain  peculiar 
features,  or  points,  that  are  observed  in  certain  families 
of  the  same  aboriginal  species,  or  sub-species — no  more  : 
and  that  the  whole  world  might  be  challenged  to  bring 
evidence  (such  as  would  be  admitted  in  an  English  court 
of  justice)  that  any  permanent  intermediate  variety  of 
bird  or  animal,  that  would  continue  to  reproduce  off- 
spring like  itself,  and  not  reverting  to  either  original 
type,  have  been  originated  by  the  crossing  of  any  two 
wild  species.  Yery  numerous  instances  of  the  failure  of 
such  experimental  attempts  might  be  adduced.  The  dif- 
ficulty under  which  science  labours  in  pursuing  this  in- 
quiry, is  much  increased  by  the  mystery  in  which  almost 
all  breeders  have  involved  their  proceedings,  even  if  they 
have  not  purposely  misled  those  who  have  endeavoured 
to  trace  the  means  employed. 

As  to  the  great  question  of  the  Immutability  of  Spe- 
cies, so  closely  allied  to  the  investigation  of  the  different 
varieties  of  poultry,  as  far  as  my  own  limited  researches 
have  gone — and  they  have  been  confined  almost  entirely 
to  birds  under  the  influence  of  man — they  have  led  me 
to  the  conclusion  that  even  sub-species  and  varieties  are 
much  more  permanent,  independent,  and  ancient,  than 
is  currently  believed  at  the  present  day.  This  result 
has  been  to  me  unavoidable,  as  well  as  unexpected ;  for, 
as  above  mentioned,  I  started  with  a  great  idea  of  the 
powerful  transmuting  influence  of  time,  changed  climate, 
and  increased  food.  My  present  conviction  is,  that  the 
diversities  which  we  see  in  even  the  most  nearly  allied 
species  of  birds,  are  not  produced  by  any  such  influences, 
nor  by  hybridisation ;  but  that  each  distinct  species, 
however  nearly  resembling  any  other,  has  been  pro 


THE     FIRST     EDITION.  17 

duced  by  a  Creative  Power.  I  am  even  disposed  to 
adopt  this  view  towards  many  forms  that  are  usually  con- 
sidered as  mere  varieties.  Half  of  the  mongrels  that  one 
sees  are  only  transition-forms,  passing  back  to  the  type 
of  one  or  other  original  progenitor.  At  least,  my  own 
eye  can  detect  such  to  be  frequently  the  apparent  fact 
in  the  case  of  Domestic  Fowls. 

The  reader  will  perceive  that  a  description  has  been 
given,  in  most  cases,  of  the  newly-hatched  chicks  of  each 
species  of  poultry.  The  idea  of  doing  this  was  suggested 
by  an  inquiry,  which  had  for  its  object  to  ascertain  the 
amount  of  differences  in  the  very  young  of  our  supposed 
domestic  races,  compared  with  the  difference  of  the  ma- 
ture animals,  in  relation  to  the  general  belief  that,  in 
youth,  species  differ  very  little  from  each  other ;  it  being 
really  the  fact,  that  the  embryos  of  even  distinct  orders 
are  closely  and  fundamentally  alike  each  other.  But 
if  these  embryotic  similarities  between  birds  and  any 
other  class  of  creatures  be  sought  for,  the  time  of  the 
exclusion  of  the  chick  from  the  egg  is  far  too  late  in  its 
existence  to  look  for  them.  Observant  persons,  who 
have  themselves  been  practically  engaged  in  the  rearing 
of  poultry,  will  immediately  recognise  the  newly-hatched 
chick  of  each  variety  with  which  they  are  acquainted. 
Nay,  when  an  egg  has  been  accidentally  broken,  after  a 
fortnight's  incubation,  I  have  myself  been  able  to  de- 
cide of  what  breed  it  would  have  been,  had  it  survived. 
I  believe  that  a  comparison  of  the  newly-hatched  young 
of  all  wild  birds,  would  lead  to  the  like  result.  The  only 
chance  of  finding  any  such  analogies,  or  rather  confu- 
sion, would  be  obtained  by  examining  the  embryos  of 
birds,  reptiles,  and  fishes,  two  or  three  days  after  the 
hatching  of  the  ovum  had  commenced. 

2* 


18  PREFACE    TO    THE     FIRST    EDITION. 

But  the  reader  has  listened  long  enough  to  this  prae- 
ludium ;  we  will  strike  the  final  chords,  which  sound  har- 
moniously to  our  own  ears.  Thanks  are  the  burden  of 
our  closing  song.  Without  great  help,  this  volume, 
though  small,  could  not  have  been  written  at  all ;  with- 
out great  encouragement  the  writer  would  certainly  not 
have  ventured  to  send  it  forth.  It  is  scarcely  possible 
to  mention  by  name  all  the  persons  to  whom  he  is  in- 
debted for  hints,  and  answers  to  inquiries.  The  addition 
of  initials  to  many  paragraphs  is  an  attempt  to  avoid 
some  part  of  the  reproach  of  strutting  in  borrowed 
plumes ;  they  will  also  perhaps  serve  as  props  to  sustain 
his  own  otherwise  tottering  edifice :  but  it  would  be  an 
ungrateful  omission  not  to  mention  specially  the  obliga- 
tions under  which  the  author  feels  himself  bound  to  the 
Editors  of  The  Gardeners'  Chronicle,  and  the  Agricul- 
tural Gazette. 

CRINGLEFORD  HALL,  NORWICH, 
October,  1848. 


MR.  DIXOFS  PREFACE 

TO  THE  SECOND  EDITION. 

(CONDENSED.) 

THE  Prefaces  to  the  First  and  Second  edition  of  any 
book  are  written  under  very  different  feelings  and  cir- 
cumstances. In  the  one  case,  an  author  is  on  the  eve 
of  submitting  his  labours  to  the  tribunal  of  criticism,  not 
always  good-natured  or  impartial ;  in  the  other,  he  has 
passed  the  ordeal,  surviving  the  several  cuts  and  burns 
that  may  have  been  inflicted  upon  him ;  that  best  cen- 
sor of  the  press,  the  British  Public,  has  stamped  the  ap- 
proving Imprimatur  upon  his  fly-leaf;  he  may  then  be 
allowed  to  rejoice  and  congratulate  himself,  if  he  do  but 
cherish,  as  he  ought,  due  gratitude  to  those  who  held  out 
a  helping  hand  while  the  success  of  his  venture  was  yet 
uncertain;  for  he  may  at  length  calculate  upon  the 
votes  of  those  who  wait  to  hear  what  opinion  others  shall 
pronounce,  as  well  as  of  those  who  have  the  courage  and 
intelligence  to  think  for  themselves. 

Exclusive  of  the  fact  that  a  large  impression  has 
already  been  disposed  of,  this  edition,  it  may  be  hoped, 
will  meet  with  a  favourable  reception  from  having  been 
carefully  revised  throughout,  and  enlarged  with  addi- 
tional matter  to  the  full  extent  that  the  space  allowed 
by  the  publisher  would  permit.  The  opportunity  of  at- 
tending the  great  Birmingham  Show  of  cattle,  sheep, 
swine,  and  poultry,  at  which  the  author  had  the  honour 

19 


20  PREFACE    TO    THE    SECOND    EDITION. 

to  be  selected  to  act  as  one  of  the  judges,  enabled  him 
to  make  a  careful  inspection  and  comparison  of  those 
breeds  of  fowls  whose  nomenclature  and  arrangement 
were  most  confused  ;  and  by  the  kind  and  able  assist- 
ance, both  previously  and  since,  rendered  by  the  gentle- 
men connected  with  the  management  of  that  important 
meeting,  it  may  be  said,  without  vain  boasting,  that  a 
fuller  account  is  given  of  the  Domestic  Fowl,  as  at  pre- 
sent kept  in  England,  than  is  to  be  found  in  any  other 
treatise  on  poultry. 

CRINGLEFORD, 

February,  1851. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAP  I. 
The  Domestic  Fowl Page    26 

CHAP.  II. 
The  Rearing  and  Management  of  Fowls 69 

CHAP.  III. 
Eggs— Their  Colour,  Form,  and  Sex 100 

CHAP.  IV. 
Eggs — Their  Preservation  for  Culinary  Purposes 106 

CHAP.  V. 
Eggs — Their  Preservation  for  Incubation 114 

CHAP.  VI. 
Varieties  of  the  Shanghae  Fowl 126 

CHAP.  VII. 

The  Cochin  China  Fowl 143 

Burnham's  Importation  of  Cochin  China  Fowl 144 

CHAP.  VIII. 
The  Malay  Fowl,  sometimes  (though  erroneously)  called  Chitta- 

gong. 160 

21 


22  CONTENTS. 

CHAP.  IX. 
The  Pheasant-Malay  Fowl Page  168 

CHAP.  X. 
The  Guelderland  Fowl 181 

•       CHAP.  XI. 

The  Dorking  Fowl 183 

Coloured  Dorkings 198 

CHAP.  XII. 
The  Spanish  Fowl 203 

CHAP.  XIII. 

The  Game  Fowl 214 

The  Mexican  Hen-Cock  Game  Fowl 246 

CHAP.  XIV. 

The  Chittagong  Fowl 270 

The  Java  Fowl . 272 

The  Shakebag  Fowl 270 

The  Jersey-Blue  Fowl 273 

CHAP.  XV. 
The  Poland,  or  Polish  Fowl 274 

CHAP.  XVI. 

The  Spangled  Hamburgh  Fowl 287 

The  BoltonGray,  or  Creole  Fowl 288 

CHAP.  XVII. 

The  Rumpless  Fowl,  or  Rumpkin 299 

The  Silky  and  Negro  Fowls 302 

The  Frizzled,  or  Friesland  Fowl 305 

The  Cuckoo  Fowl 307 

The  Blue  Dun  Fowl 309 

The  Lark-crested  Fowl ..  312 


CONTENTS.  28 

CHAP.  XVIII. 
The  Smooth-legged  Bantam Page,  315 

CHAP.  XIX. 

The  Dunghill  Fowl 328 

The  Dominique  Fowl 328 

Col.  Jaques'  Chicken  Coop 329 

Mr.   H.    L.  -Devereux's  Method  of  Rearing  Chicks  without  a 

mother 330 

Mr.  E.  R.  Cope's  Letter  on  Early  Chickens 331 

CHAP.  XX. 
Caponizing  Fowls , 336 

CHAP.  XXI. 
The  Pea  Fowl 344 

CHAP.  XXII. 
The  Ring-necked  Pheasant 351 

CHAP.  XXIII. 
The  Turkey 359 

CHAP.  XXIV. 
The  Guinea  Fowl 373 

CHAP.  XXV. 
The  Mute  Swan,  (Cygnus  Olor.) 379 

CHAP.  XXVI. 
The  Wild,  or  Canada  Goose 396 

CHAP.  XXVII. 

The  Domestic  Goose 405 

« 

CHAP.  XXVIII. 
The  Hong  Kong,  or  China  Goose 420 


24  CONTENTS. 

CHAP.  XXIX. 
The  Bremen  Goose Page  429 

CHAP.  XXX. 

The  White-fronted,  or  Laughing  Goose 435 

The  White  China  Goose 440 

CHAP.  XXXI. 

The  Bernicle  Goose 449 

The  Brent  Goose 453 

CHAP.  XXXII. 
The  Tame  Duck , 456 


dbrnaramtal  anfr  Domestic 


CHAPTER.  I. 

THE    DOMESTIC    FOWL. 

PRELIMINARY  to  a  description  of  the  different  breeds  and 
varieties  of  fowls,  some  general  account  of  them,  and  their  man- 
agement, will  be  appropriate;  and  I  know  of  nothing  better 
than  the  following,  which  I  quote  from  Mr.  Dixon.  He  says,  in 
answer  to  the  question,  What  is  the  earliest  dcate  of  poultry 
keeping  ?  Nobody  knows.  My  own  belief  is,  that  it  is  coeval 
with  the  keeping  of  sheep  by  Abel,  and  the  tilling  of  the  ground 
by  Cain — a  supposition  which  cannot  be  far  from  probability  if 
there  is  any  foundation  for  the  legend  that  Gomer,  the  eldest 
son  of  Japhet,  took  a  surname  from  the  Cock.  Indeed,  it 
would  be  to  him  that  Western  Europe  stands  indebted  for  a 
stock  of  Fowls  from  the  Ark  itself.  For,  it  is  supposed  by  the 
erudite,  and  shown  by  at  least  probable  arguments,  that  the 
descendants  of  G-oiner  settled  in  the  northern  parts  of* Asia 
Minor,  and  then  spread  into  the  Cimmerian  Bosphorus  and  the 
adjacent  regions,  and  that  from  them  the  numerous  tribes  of 
the  Gauls,  Germans,  Celts,  and  Cimbrians  descended.  It  is 
true  that  there  is  no  mention  of  Fowls  by  name  in  the  Old 


26  THE    DOMESTIC    FOWL. 

Testament,  except  a  doubtful  allusion  in  the  Vulgate  transla- 
tion of  the  book  of  Proverbs  (xxx.  31),  which  is  lost  in  the 
authorized  version;  the  Hebrew  word  translated  "gallus"  in 
one  place  being  rendered  "  greyhound"  in  the  other  :  '•  Gallus 
succinctus  lumbos ;  et  aries :  nee  est  rex,  qui  resistat  ei :"  "  a 
greyhound ;"  (some  think  the  war-horse  was  meant),  "  an  he- 
goat  also ;  and  a  king,  against  whom  there  is  no  rising  up." 
It  will  be  seen  that  the  Latin  and  the  English  by  no  means  run 
parallel  to  each  other.  There  is  another  equally  disputable 
passage  in  Ecclesiastes  xii.  4  :  "  And  the  doors  shall  be  shut 
in  the  streets,  when  the  sound  of  the  grinding  is  low,  and  he 
shall  rise  up  at  the  voice  of  the  bird  (i.  e.  at  Cock-crowing), 
and  all  the  daughters  of  music  shall  be  brought  low."  Both 
passages  are  quoted  by  the-  Rev.  Mr.  Pegg  in  his  curious  paper 
on  Cock-fighting,  in  the  Archssologia,  vol.  iii.  A  still  less 
certain  reference  occurs  in  the  book  of  Job,  xxxviii.  36  :  "  Who 
hath  put  wisdom  in  the  inward  parts  ?  or,  who  hath  given  un- 
derstanding to  the  heart?"  running  thus  in  the  Latin:  "  Quis 
posuit  in  visceribus  sapientiam,  vel  quis  dedit  gallo  intelligen- 
tiam?"  which  is  commented  on  by  St.  Gregory,  and  the  word 
"  gallus"  spiritually  interpreted  as  having  reference  to  those 
earnest  preachers  who  rouse  men  from  the  slumber  of  sin,  and 
cry  aloud  that  the  night  is  far  spent,  the  day  is  at  hand. 

In  our  English  version,  "  fowls"  as  articles  of  provision  are 
mentioned  at  1  Kings,  iv.  23,  and  again  at  Nehemiah,  v.  18. 
Unfortunately,  even  Hebrew  scholars  often  find  a  difficulty  in 
fixing  upon  the  animals  intended  by  certain  Hebrew  words. 
On  referring  to  the  Septuagint  translation  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment into  Greek,  I  find  that,  in  the  passage  in  Kings,  the 
words*rendered  in  our  version  "  fatted  fowl"  are  literally  "birds^ 
select  fatted  ones  from  the  select."  But  in  Nehemiah,  instead 
of  the  "fowls"  of  our  translation,  the  Septuagint  reads,  "a  goat/' 
So  that,  though  we  do  not  doubt  that  Cocks  and  Hens  were 
domesticated  in  those  early  ages,  and  before  them,  still  the 


THE     DOMESTIC     FOWL.  27 

special  mention  of  them  by  name  in  the  Old  Testament  may  be 
considered  as  doubtful.  It  is  curious  that  several  creatures 
with  which  we  may  believe  that  the  ancient  Egyptians  must 
have  been  acquainted,  are  quite  omitted  from  their  paintings 
and  sculptures.  Thus,  there  seems  to  be  no  representation  of 
Pigeons  or  of  Camels  in  their  tombs  or  temples:  whereas 
other  things,  which  we  should  have  less  expected  to  find,  as  a 
flock  of  Domestic  Geese,  are  depicted  with  great  accuracy.  I 
have  been  anxious  to  find  portraits  of  some  of  the  Fancy  Pi- 
geons upon  ancient  monuments,  but  cannot,  though  I  have 
found  mention  of  several  in  ancient  literature. 

The  apparent  omission  of  the  name  of  the  Domestic  Fowl 
from  the  Old  Testament  may  possibly  have  arisen  from  this 
cause,  namely :  that  tending  them  would  be  the  occupation  of 
women,  whose  domestic  employments  are  less  prominently 
brought  forward  by  Oriental  writers  than  the  active  enterprises 
of  men ;  and  also,  that  the  birds  specially  named  there  are  the 
unclean  birds,  which  are  to  be  avoided,  whereas  those  which 
may  be  eaten  are  classed  in  a  lump  as  "  clean."  See  Leviticus, 
xi.  13,  and  Deuteronomy,  xiv.  11.  "Of  all  clean  birds  ye 
shall  eat.  But  these  are  they  which  ye  shall  not  eat;  the 
eagle,  and  the  ossifrage,  and  the  osprey,"  &c.  Turtle-doves  and 
young  pigeons  are  only  mentioned  as  objects  of  sacrifice,  not 
as  articles  of  food. 

Aristotle,  who  wrote  about  350  years  before  Christ,  speaks 
o£  them  as  familiarly  as  a  natural  historian  of  the  present  day 
would.  It  is  unnecessary  more  than  to  allude  to  the  beautiful 
comparisons  taken  from  them  in  the  New  Testament.  The 
Roman  authors  of  the  commencement  of  the  Christian  era  re- 
corded that  they  were  classed  into  such  a  number  of  distinct 
varieties  as  could  only  have  been  the  result  of  long  cultivation. 
Whether  we  suppose  that  different  breeds  were  collected  and 
imported  from  different  native  stations,  or  assume  that  the  dif- 
ferences of  those  breeds  were  the  artificial  result  of  domestica- 


28  THE     DOMESTIC      FOWL. 

tion, — whichever  case  we  take,  Domestic  Fowls  must  have 
been  held  in  familiar  esteem  for  many,  many  ages  before  we 
have  any  clear  record  of  them.  Either  supposition  attaches  to 
them  a  highly  interesting  and  quite  mysterious  degree  of  an- 
tiquity. Even  in  our  own  country  they  appear  to  have  existed 
at  a  time  and  in  a  state  of  society  when  we  should  least  have 
expected  to  find  them.  "The  inland  parts  of  Britain  are  in- 
habited by  those  whom  fame  reports  to  be  natives  of  the  soil. 
They  think  it  unlawful  to  feed  upon  hares,  pullets,  or  geese ; 
yet  they  breed  them  up  for  their  diversion  and  pleasure." 
Cdesar  de  Betto  Gallico,  lib.  v.  cap.  xii.,  Duncan's  Translation. 
Dr.  Kidd,  in  his  Bridgewater  Treatise,  doubts  whether  the 
Camel  ever  existed  in  a  wild  and  independent  state.  We  do 
not  go  quite  so  far  as  that  in  scepticism  in  the  case  of  Fowls, 
but  still  believe  that  those  who,  at  this  epoch,  hunt  for  Cocks 
and  Hens  of  the  same  species  as  our  tame  ones,  either  on  the 
Continent  of  Asia,  or  throughout  the  whole  inhabited  vast 
Indian  Archipelago,  will  have  undertaken  but  a  fruitless  search. 
For  certain  writers  have  been  at  great  pains  for  some  years 
past,  with  but  little  success,  except  in  their  own  conceit,  to 
pitch  upon  the  wild  origin  of  our  Domestic  Fowls.  The  first 
decided  attempts  appear  to  have  been  made  by  Sonnerat,  and 
to  have  been  followed  up  by  succeeding  French  writers,  whose 
errors  are  glaring,  and  in  whose  praise  little  can  be  said. 
Reaumer,  whose  writings  are  really  philosophical  and  valuable, 
devoted  his  inquiries  to  more  practical  objects,  but  Sonnerat 
was  merely  a  blind  leader  of  the  blind,  if  there  is  justice  in  the 
criticism  of  Mr.  Swainson,  who  pronounces  that  "  Sonnerat' s 
works  (Paris,  1776  and  1778),  although  often  cited  by  the 
French  authors,  are  very  poor;  the  descriptions  vague,  and  the 
figures,  particularly  of  the  birds,  below  mediocrity."  Buffon, 
who  did  not  die  till  1788,  had  therefore  an  opportunity  of 
adopting  Sonnerat' s  Jungle  Fowl  as  the  parent  of  Cocks  and 
Hens,  and  his  vivid  imagination  made  him  very  likely  to  have 


THE     DOMESTIC     FOWL.  29 

adopted  so  apparently  clear  an  account,  ready  telegraphed  for 
his  reception.  But  instead  of  that,  he  speaks. hesitatingly  and 
doubtfully  of  the  derivation  of  our  Domestic  Fowls  from  Wild 
Cocks,  and  seems  to  despair  of  indicating  their  origin.  He 
says,  "  Amidst  the  immense  number  of  different  breeds  of  the 
gallinaceous  tribe,  how  shall  we  determine  the  original  stock? 
So  many  circumstances  have  operated,  so  many  accidents  have 
concurred :  the  attention,  and  even  the  whim  of  man  have  so 
much  multiplied  the  varieties,  that  it  appears  extremely  diffi- 
cult to  trace  them  to  their  source." 

Those  authors  who,  by  a  pleasant  legerdemain,  so  easily 
transform  one  of  the  wild  Indian  Galli  into  a  Barndoor  Fowl — • 
who  put  the  Jungle  Cock,  the  Bankiva\iock,  or  the  Gigantic 
St.  Jago  (?)*  bird  under  a  bushel,  hocus  pocus  a  little,  lift  up 
the  cover,  and  then  exhibit  a  veritable  Chanticleer — write  as 
if  they  had  only  to  catch  a  wild-bird  in  the  woods,  turn  it  into 
a  courtyard  for  a  week  or  two,  and  make  it  straightway  become 


*  St.  Jago,  one  of  the  Cape  de  Verd  islands,  may  furnish  wild 
Guinea  Fowl,  but  scarcely  wild  Cocks.  The  "Gallus  Giganteus," 
the  great  "  St.  Jago  Fowl,"  is  the  offspring  of  an  absurd  misquota- 
tion from  Marsden,  which  has  run  the  round  of  most  compilations. 
Jago,  the  native  Sumatran  or  Malay  word  for  a  particular  breed,  has 
been  mistaken  for  "St.  Jago,"  the  name  for  an  island.  Marsden 
was  well  acquainted  with  his  subject,  and  there  is  nothing  like  refer- 
ring to  an  original  authority. 

"  There  are  in  Sumatra  the  domestic  Hen  (ayam},  some  with  black 
bones,  and  some  of  the  sort  we  call  Freezeland  or  Negro  Fowls  ;  Hen 
of  the  woods  (ayam  baroogo]  ;  ihejago  breed  of  fowls,  which  abound 
in  the  southern  end  of  Sumatra,  and  western  of  Java,  are  remarkably 
large ;  I  have  seen  a  Cock  peck  off  a  common  dining  table :  when  fa- 
tigued, they  sit  down  on  the  first  joint  of  the  leg,  and  are  then  taller 
than  the  common  fowls.  It  is  strange  if  the  same  country,  Bantam, 
produces  likewise  the  diminutive  breed  that  goes  by  that  name." — - 
Marsden 's  History  of  Sumatra,  p.  98. 


30  THE     DOMESTIC     FOWL. 

as  tame  as  a  spaniel.*  On  such  a  notion  comment  is  now  su- 
pererogatory. For  a  difficulty  which  speaks  volumes,  is,  that 
those  birds  which  have  been  pointed  out  as  the  most  probable 
ancestors  of  the  Domestic  Fowl,  do  not  appear  to  be  more  tame- 
able than  the  Partridge  or  the  Golden  Pheasant;  moreover,  so 
remarkable  an  appendage  as  the  horny  expansion  of  the  feather- 
stem,  as  seen  in  Sonnerat's  Cock,  would,  according  to  what  is 
generally  supposed  to  take  place,  be  increased  rather  than  di- 
minished and  obliterated  by  domestication;  and  even  if  got  rid 
of  by  any  course  of  breeding  for  a  few  generations,  would  be 
sure,  ultimately,  to  reappear.  Now,  in  some  races  of  Fowls 
known  only  to  the  moderns,  or  at  least  not  recorded,  we  ob- 
serve feathered  crests  showing  an  affinity  with  the  Lophophori, 
the  Pea  Fowl,  and  perhaps  distantly  with  the  Curassows;  in 
others,  certain  Bantams,  for  instance,  we  find  the  feet  and 
legs  covered  with  feathers,  indicating  some  approach  to  Ptar- 
migan and  Grouse;  the  Silky  Fowl  has  a  plumage  akin  to  that 
of  the  Apteryx  and  the  Cassowary ;  but  in  none  do  we  see  any 
thing  like  the  bony  plates  in  the  plumage  of  Sonnerat's  Cock. 
A  bird  with  this  peculiarity,  either  in  the  hackle,  or  in  the 
wing,  after  the  fashion  of  the  Bohemian  Chatterer,  would  be 
the  greatest  curiosity  that  a  London  dealer  could  produce. 


.*  The  Mute  Swan  is  thus  made  to  be  descended  from  the  Hooper. 

"It  has  always  had  more  attention  paid  it  than  its  fellow  subjects ; 
it  has  never  been  kept  captive  (?) ;  it  has  been  destined  to  adorn  the 
pieces  of  water  in  our  gardens,  and  there  permitted  to  enjoy  all  the 
sweets  of  liberty.  The  abundance  and  the  choice  of  food  have  aug- 
mented the  bulk  of  the  Tame  Swan;  but  its  form  has  lost  none  of  its 
elegance ;  it  has  preserved  the  same  graces  and  the  same  freedom  in 
all  its  motions  ;  its  majestic  port  is  ever  admired  :  /  doubt  even  whe- 
ther all  these  qualities  are  found  to  equal  extent  in  the  wild  bird."  M.  Bail- 
Ion,  quoted  by  Buffon.  Just  so  we  may  manufacture  Donkeys  from 
Wild  Asses,  Pigs  from  Peccaries,  Dunghill  Cocks  from  Jungle  Fowl, 
nay,  why  not  Men  from  Monkeys  ?  See  the  "  Vestiges  of  Creation." 


\ 

N. 


THE     DOMESTIC     FOWL.  31 

Still,  our  own  Cocks  and  Hens  must  have  had  some  proge- 
nitors, and  if  I  may  venture  to  offer  an  opinion,  it  is  this;  that 
the  wild  race,  that  which  once  ranged  the  primaeval  woods  and 
jungles,  unsubdued  by  man,  is  now  extinct,  forever  gone,  with 
the  Dodos  and  the  Deinornithes.  Such  an  idea  quite  agrees 
with  what  we  now  see  going  on  in  the  world.  At  no  very  dis- 
tantly future  time,  the  Turkey  will  be  in  exactly  the  same 
position  in  which  I  am  supposing  our  Cocks  and  Hens  to  be 
now  placed.  The  race  will  continue  to  survive,  only  from 
having  submitted  itself  to  the  dominion  of  man.  Wild  Tur- 
keys are  becoming  every  year  more  and  more  scarce  in  America, 
and  as  population  increases,  and  penetrates  deeper  into  the 
wilds,  till  the  whole  face  of  the  country  is  overspread,  occupied, 
and  cultivated,  the  Turkey  in  the  New  World  must  share 
the  fate  of  the  Bustard  in  England,  and  where  shall  we  find 
it  then,  except  under  the  same  circumstances  as  we  now  see 
our  Domestic  Fowls? 

.  How  long  existing  literature  will  endure  it  is  impossible  to 
speculate;  but  should  it  be  swept  clean  away  by  any  social 
convulsion,  our  descendants,  two  thousand  years  hence,  will 
have  as  much  difficulty  in  determining  the  origin  of  the  Tur- 
key, as  we  have  in  deciding  upon  that  of  the  Cocks  and  Hens. 
At  a  later  point  of  time  than  that  predestined  for  the  disap- 
pearance of  the  wild  Turkey,  but  one  equally  inevitable,  the 
last  surviving  specimens  of  the  Emeu  and  the  Kangaroo  will 
be  such  as  shall  be  reared  in  captivity,  for  the  gratification  of 
the  wealthy  or  the  scientific.  Man  has  the  power  of  trampling 
underfoot,  and  sweeping  every  living  thing  before  him  in  his 
progress;  but  in  some  cases,  at  least,  he  is  likely,  for  his  own 
sake,  to  rescue  the  most  valuable  part  of  the  spoil  from  de- 
struction, if  it  will  only  submit  to  be  rescued,  and  not  refuse 
to  accept  a  continued  existence  on  such  conditions.  A  family 
of  savages  would  soon  consume  and  destroy  a  whole  province 
full  of  wild  Cocks  and  Hens,  were  it  ever  so  well  stocked;  but 


32  THE     DOMESTIC     FOWL. 

civilized  Man  can  see  his  interest  in  their  preservation,-  and  it 
is  lucky  for  Fowls  that  their  destiny  threw  them  in  contact 
with  the  Caucasian  race  instead  of  Australian  aborigines.  But 
the  increase  of  knowledge  and  humanity  may  even  yet  do  some- 
thing to  extend  a  merciful  and  forbearing  conduct  towards  ex- 
isting animals.  Had  the  Dodo  survived  to  these  days,  it  might 
perhaps  date  a  renewed  term  of  existence  from  the  day  that  it 
was  subjected  to  confinement  in  a  menagerie.  Now  the  utter 
destruction  of  the  Dodo  appears,  if  we  think  of  it,  to  have  oc- 
casioned a  great  loss  to  mankind:  it  might  have  proved  a 
valuable  addition  to  our  live  stock.  It  was  a  gallinaceous,  or 
rather  a  columbine  bird,  covered  with  fine  down.  That  its 
flesh  was  good  is  proved  by  the  fact  of  the  whole  race  having 
been  eaten  and  consumed  in  so  short  a  time,  though  there  do 
seem  to  have  been  two  opinions,  some  preferring  Turtle-dove 
to  Dodo.  Its  weight  (fifty  pounds)  made  it  of  importance ; 
its  unwieldiness  and  inability  to  fly  (being  an  avis  not  a  volu- 
cm)  made  it  easy  to  confine.  It  was  said  to  lay  numerous 
eggs :  but  if  it  produced  only  two  or  three  young  in  the  year, 
it  was  at  least  as  prolific  as  the  Sheep.  We  do  not  find  it 
stated  what  was  the  food  of  the  Dodo.  Its  strong  scratching 
feet,  powerful  digestion,  thick  neck,  and  enormous  beak,  seem 
to  indicate  that  roots  might  be  its  main  sustenance.  Let  us 
hope  that  the  beautiful  Honduras  Turkey  will  not  be  permitted 
to  be  extirpated  in  like  manner. 

The  size,  inactivity,  and  sluggishness  of  such  creatures  as 
these  are  the  main  cause  of  the  extinction  they  are  undergoing 
as  wild  races;  but  the  common  Hen  has  one  peculiar  habit, 
which  woulc[  alone  insure  the  destruction  of  her  progeny  in  an 
unprotected  state,  in  spite  of  all  her  fruitfulness  and  her  great 
maternal  virtues.  Her  delight  at  having  laid  an  egg,  expressed 
by  loud  cackling,  which  is  joined  in  by  all  her  companions 
that  are  at  hand,  would,  by  itself,  be  sufficient  to  prevent  much 
increase  of  her  young.  The  Latin  writers  called  the  cry  sin- 


THE    DOMESTIC    FOWL.  33 

gultus,  or  sobbing,  as  if  she  had  suffered  pain ;  the  notice  thug 
givren  of  her  delivery  was  equally  public  at  that  distance  of 
time  as  now.  How  the  squaws  and  their  picaninnies  would 
chuckle  to  have  wild  birds  abounding  around  them,  that  not 
only  produced  an  excellent  egg  every  day,  but  told  them  where 
to  find  it !  But  without  going  into  the  wilderness,  either  east 
or  west,  what  would  become  of  the  larger  ground-nesting  birds 
in  England,  the  Water-hen,  the  Wild-duck  (what  has  become 
of  the  Bustard  ?),  if  they  were  not  as  silent  and  stealthy  in 
depositing  their  eggs,  and  leading  forth  their  young,  as  the  Hen 
is  noisy  and  obtrusive  ?  Even  Le  Vaillant's  ape  "  Kees"  could 
learn  to  listen  for  the  cacklings  of  his  master's  Hens,  and  steal 
their  eggs. 

The  habit  which  so  large  a  bird  as  the  Fowl  has  of  retiring  to 
roost  by  daylight,  and  composing  itself  to  repose  before  it  is  hid- 
den and  protected  by  the  shades  of  night,  would  also  be  a  certain 
source  of  danger  in  a  wild  state.  The  craving  hunter  who 
wanted  a  meal,  need  not  fatigue  himself  by  a  search  during 
the  noontide  heats.  He  would  have  but  to  bear  the  pangs  of 
appetite  till  evening  approached,  and  then  stealing  with  no 
great  caution  under  the  outstretched  branches,  he  would  find 
a  ready  prey  distinctly  apparent  between  himself  and  the  ruddy 
glare  of  sunset.  No  wild  race  could  survive  a  few  years  of 
such  facile,  such  tempting  capture.  Those  who  would  reply 
by  saying  that  when  Cocks  and  Hens  were  wild  they  had  not 
fallen  into  the  imprudent  fashion  of  roosting  before  dark,  and 
cackling  when  they  dropped  an  egg,  beg  the  question  which  we 
are  not  disposed  to  grant  them  unless  they  can  positively  es- 
tablish their  claim. 

The  antiquity  which  I  thus  assume  for  our  existing  race  of 
Cocks  and  Hens  may  perhaps  startle  some  readers;  but  hear 
Professor  Owen  on  other  analogous  cases:  "It  is  probable 
that  the  Horse  and  the  Ass  are  descendants  of  a  species  of  pli- 
ocene antiquity  in  Europe.  There  is  no  anatomical  character 


34  THE     DOMESTIC     FOWL. 

by  which  the  present  Wild  Boar  can  be  distinguished  specifi- 
cally from  that  which  was  contemporary  with  the  Mammoth. 
All  the  species  of  European  pliocene  Bovidse  came  down  to  the 
historical  period,  and  the  Aurochs  and  Musk-ox  still  exist;  but 
the  one  owes  its  preservation  to  special  imperial  protection,  and 
the  other  has  been  driven,  like  the  Rein-deer,  to  high  northern 
latitudes.  There  is  evidence  that  the  great  Bos-primigenius, 
and  the  small  Bos-longifrons,  which  date,  by  fossils,  from  the 
time  of  the  Mammoth,  continued  to  exist  in  this  island  after  it 
became  inhabited  by  Man.  The  small  short-horned  pliocene  Ox 
is  most  probably  still  preserved  in  the  mountain  varieties  of 
our  domestic  cattle.  The  great  Urus  seems  never  to  have  been 
tamed;"  note  this :  "  but  to  have  been  finally  extirpated  in  Scot- 
land. Of  the  Cervine  tribe,  the  Red-deer  and  the  Roe-buck  still 
exist  in  the  mountainous  districts  of  the  north ;  but,  like  the 
Aurochs  in  Lithuania,  by  grace  of  special  protective  laws." — 
British  Fossil  Mammals  and  Birds,  Introduction,  p.  xxxii. 

But  if  our  domestic  Fowls  were  thus  early  called  into  ex- 
istence, where  are  their  fossil  remains  to  be  found  ?  The 
probabilities  are  against  our  finding  them  at  all.  We  can 
hardly  expect  them  in  any  oceanic  deposit ;  and  "  extremely 
rare,"  says  Professor  Owen,  "  are  the  remains  of  birds  in  the 
fresh-water  deposits,  or  marine  drift  of  the  newer  pliocene  pe- 
riod, which  so  abound  in  Mammalian  fossils.  The  light  bodies 
of  birds  float  long  on  the  surface  after  death ;  and  for  one  bird 
that  becomes  imbedded  in  the  sediment  at  the  bottom,  perhaps 
ninety-nine  are  devoured  before  decomposition  has  sufficiently 
advanced  to  allow  the  skeleton  to  sink." — Id.  p.  557.  It  would 
probably  be  in  their  supposed  original  Asiatic  home  that  any 
successful  search  would  be  made ;  but  we  ought  not  to  be  dis- 
appointed if  none  are  discovered  even  there.  Dr.  Buckland, 
in  his  Reliquiae  Diluvianse,  mentions  twenty-two  localities  of  the 
remains  of  antediluvian  animals,  and  in  only  three  of  them  are 
relics  of  birds  found. 


THE    DOMESTIC    FOWL.  35 

It  certainly  has  long  been  thought  that  our  domesticated 
creatures,  beasts  as  well  as  birds,  must  necessarily  be  descended 
from  some  wild  stock,  which  still  exists  in  an  untamed  state. 
This  petitio  principii,  this  begging  of  the  point  at  issue,  has 
unquestionably  led  to  wrong  conclusions,  and  left  a  host  of 
naturalists,  particularly  oeconomical  writers,  planted  in  the 
midst  of  difficulties  which  are  still  unexplained.  Where  is 
the  wild  origin  of  the  sheep,  or  of  the  goat,  to  be  found  ? 
Some  say  here,  some  say  there,  some  fix  on  this  species,  some 
on  that,  and  the  reader  ends  by  "giving  it  up."  But  take 
the  simple  theory  that  many  of  our  domestic  animals  are  the 
survivors  of  extinct  races,  survivors,  because  domesticable,  of 
extirpated,  because  defenceless  creatures,  and  the  difficulties 
vanish,  and  become  reconcileable  with  what  we  see  around  us. 
All  those  species  which  have  of  late  become,  or  are  likely  soon 
to  become  extinct,  disappear  because  they  refuse  to  be  subju- 
gated by  man;  for  example,  the  yet  untamed  Aurochs  of 
Lithuania,  which  still  survives  only  by  virtue  of  strict  pro- 
tective laws  enforced  by  the  Emperor  of  Russia,  and  which 
has  had  all  the  time,  from  the  epoch  of  living  Mammoths  to 
the  present  day,  to  become  softened  in  disposition,  but  still 
refuses  to  hear  the  voice  of  the  charmer.  In  some  few  sad 
instances,  principally  of  birds,  the  work  of  extermination  ap- 
pears to  have  been  completed  before  any  fair  experiment  had 
been  tried,  as  with  the  Dodo  and  the  Kivi  Kivi.  Other  spe- 
cies, on  the  contrary,  as  the  Turkey,  will  probably  long  sur- 
vive the  utter  disappearance  of  their  wild  progenitors,  solely 
on  account  of  having  submitted  with  a  good  grace  to  the 
dominion  of  Man.  One  of  these,  the  Cereopsis,  seems  likely 
to  owe  its  rescue  to  the  happy  exertions  of  the  Zoological 
Society,  which  thus  becomes  an  ark  of  refuge  amidst  the  flood 
of  population. 

The  Common  Cock,  the  Gallus  Gallinaceus  and  Aa.sx*»p  of 
the  ancients  would,  at  first  sight,  appear  to  have  received  one 


36  THE    DOMESTIC    FOWL. 

or  two  remarkable  changes  of  form  subsequent  to  its  having 
been  saved  from  annihilation  by  becoming  dependent  on  the 
care  of  Man,  if  we  can  believe  domestication  to  be  capable  of 
producing  such  changes.  The  crest  of  feathers  on  the  head 
is  an  extraordinary  metamorphosis  to  have  occurred  from  an 
original  fleshy  comb.  There  is  no  yet  discovered  instance, 
that  I  am  aware  of,  of  any  wild  crested  breed.  Aristotle  makes 
such  a  pointed  and  so  clear  a  distinction  between  the  feathered 
crests  of  birds  in  general,  and  the  combs  of  cocks,  as  to  lead 
to  a  strong  suspicion  that  he  was  unacquainted  with  Fowls 
with  top-knots;  which  he  could  hardly  have  avoided  seeing  in 
the  course  of  his  unequalled  opportunities  for  research,  had 
they  existed  in  his  day;  "certain  birds  have  a  crest;  in  some 
consisting  of  actual  feathers;  but  that  of  Cocks  alone  is  pecu- 
liar, being  neither  flesh,  nor  yet  very  different  from  flesh  in 
its  nature." — Hist.  Anim.,  book  ii.,  chap.  xii.  towards  the  end. 
I  can  find  no  passage  in  the  classical  authors  which  implies 
that  the  Cocks  and  Hens  of  their  day  bore  a  feathered  top- 
knot. The  Latin  crista  is  at  least  an  ambiguous  word.  If  it 
occasionally  means  a  plumed  crest  like  that  of  the  Hoopoe,  it 
is  also  most  pointedly  used  for  a  fleshy  comb.  Pliny,  lib. 
xxvii.,  chap.  93,  says,  "  The  Alectorolophus  (a  plant),  which 
with  us  is  called  Crista ,  has  leaves  like  a  Cock's  comb."  This 
passage  may  not  be  considered  conclusive;  because,  although 
the  Cockscomb  is  a  remarkable  and  striking  plant,  he  might 
intend  to  describe  some  other  herb  which  bore  tufts  or  tassels. 
But  in  describing  the  Phoenix  (lib.  x.,  chap.  2),  he  mentions 
that  "  it  is  adorned  with  wattles  (using  the  same  word  that  he 
does  to  express  the  comb)  on  its  throat,  and  a  feathered  top- 
knot on  its  head."  But  further  on  he  puts  the  interpretation 
of  the  word  beyond  all  doubt.  "  Messalinus  Cotta  discovered 
the  method  of  cooking  the  web  of  Geese's  feet,  and  fricaseeing 
them  in  small  dishes  along  with  Cock's  combs." — Lib.  x.,  c.  27. 
Not  even  the  Romans  would  think  a  tuft  of  feathers  any  great 


THE    DOMESTIC    FOWL.  37 

delicacy ;  and  a  dish  of  Cock's  combs  is  one  of  the  few  things 
in  which  modern  taste  coincides  with  theirs.  The  Latin  crista 
trust  not,  therefore,  be  translated  by  the  English  crest  when 
it  has  reference  to  Cocks  and  Hens.  Cirrus  is  the  Latin  word 
used  by  Pliny  to  denote  the  tuft  of  feathers  on  the  head  of 
certain  Ducks  (fuligulce),  and  also  properly  adopted  by  Aldro- 
vandi  to  express  the  top-knot  of  Polish  Fowls.  Theocritus 
calls  the  Cock  3?om;eoxo<j>ov.  We  know  something  about  the 
red  combs,  but  nothing  of  the  red  crests  of  Fowls. 

There  is  a  passage  in  jElian,  which  at  first  sight  would 
appear  to  contradict  the  notion  that  the  ancients  had  no  top- 
knotted  fowls,  but  which,  in  fact,  strongly  confirms  it. 

"And  (in  India)  Cocks  are  produced  of  the  greatest  size, 
and  they  have  a  comb  which  is  not  red  like  those  of  our  fowls, 
but  variegated  like  the  corolla  of  flowers ;  and  they  have  their 
rump-feathers,  not  curved  nor  twisted  into  screws  (as  in  the 
bird  of  Paradise),  but  broad ;  and  they  drag  them  after  them, 
like  Peacocks,  when  they  do  not  erect  them  and  set  them  up ; 
and  the  colour  of  the  feathers  of  the  Indian  Cocks  is  golden 
and  cserulean,  like  the  stone  smaragdus." — Lib.  xvi.,  c.  2. 
The  smaragdus  was  the  emerald ;  a  metallic  lustre  is  clearly 
indicated.  That  the  bird  in  question  was  not  the  Gallus 
Gallinaceus  is  certain,  from  the  absence  of  the  sickle  feathers 
in  the  tail.  What  it  was,  is  not  our  bounden  duty  to  decide. 
It  is  not,  moreover,  stated  that  the  xo<j>oj,  though  variegated, 
did  consist  of  feathers.  It  might  have  been  a  helmet,  like 
that  of  the  Guinea-fowl.  The  earliest  notice  of  Crested  Fowls 
that  I  am  aware  of,  occurs  in  Aldrovandi;  one  of  which  sorts 
is  "our  common  country  Hen,  all  white,  and  with  a  crest  like 
that  of  a  lark,"  a  very  useful  comparison,  that  will  serve  to 
distinguish  such-like  from  the  Polish  Fowls;  the  other,  what 
he  calls  the  Paduan,  evidently  a  variety  of  the  Polish  or  Poland 

If  birds  with  such  peculiarities  were  unknown  to  the  ancients, 
it  will  be  asked  through  what  agency  they  have  made  their 


38  THEDOMESTICFOWL. 

appearance  in  our  days.  Are  they  new  species,  the  result  of 
clever  combination  and  nurture,  or  of  mere  chance  ?  Not  con- 
ceiving that  they  are  any  thing  new  under  the  sun,  although 
long  unknown  to  us,  I  answer  at  once,  No.  The  mercantile 
enterprise  and  trading  voyages  of  the  English,  Dutch,  Spaniards, 
and  Portuguese,  are  quite  sufficient  to  explain  their  arrival, 
without  having  recourse  to  a  new  creation.  It  is  strange  that 
any  new  or  remarkable  breed,  like  Sir  J.  Sebright's  Bantams, 
or  the  Duke  of  Leeds'  Shackbag,  should  invariably  first  appear 
in  the  poultry -yards  of  the  wealthy,  and  not  in  the  homestead 
of  the  small  farmer  or  the  cottager.  The  lately  introduced 
Cochin  China  Fowl,  about  which  there  is  no  mystery,  and  of 
which  her  majesty  has  just  reason  to  be  proud,  is  a  case  in 
point.  But  it  is  not  strange  or  unlikely  that  gentlemen  who 
have  succeeded  in  obtaining  some  exotic  variety,  should  choose 
to  conceal  the  source  and  the  channel  by  which  it  came  into 
their  hands,  or  even  take  credit  for  having  themselves  raised 
and  generated  a  breed  which  excited  the  curiosity  and  admira- 
tion of  their  neighbours.  There  are  several  varieties  that  are 
extinct,  or  not  to  be  obtained  in  this  country,  as  the  above- 
mentioned  Duke  of  Leeds'  Fowl,  and  the  White  Poland  Fowl 
with  a  black  top-knot.*  Attempts  have  been  made  to  repro- 
duce them,  both  by  the  most  promising  systems  of  crossing, 
and  by  acting  on  the  imagination  of  breeding  Fowls,  after  the 
manner  of  Jacob's  experiments  with  Laban's  flocks ;  all  in 
vain.  We  can  easily  understand  how  certain  points  in  any 
race  can  be  confirmed  and  made  more  conspicuous  by  selection 
and  breeding  in  and  in,  but  we  are  at  a  loss  to  know  how  to 
go  to  work  to  produce  something  quite  original  and  new.  If 
these  lost  varieties  do  reappear,  and  they  are  both  worth  the 
trouble  they  may  give,  it  will  probably  be  by  a  fresh  importa- 
tion from  their  original  Indian  home. 

*  I  seriously  doubt  the  existence  of  any  such  fowl. — ED. 


THE    DOMESTIC    FOWL.  39 

The  head-quarters  of  Domestic  Fowl  at  the  present  day  are 
the  islands  of  Java  and  Sumatra,  and  the  Malay  Peninsula,  a 
vast  extent  of  but  partially  explored  country,  seeing  that  the 
area  of  this  last  alone  is  very  little  less  than  that  of  Great 
Britain.  But  the  prospects  opened  to  natural  history  by  Sir 
James  Brooke's  occupation  of  Borneo,  and  his  gradual  pacifi- 
cation of  the  enormous  Oriental  Archipelago  by  the  suppression 
of  piracy,  are  scarcely  appreciable  at  this  early  period.  Ac- 
cording to  the  Quarterly  Review  (July,  1848),  no  regions  of 
equal  extent  on  the  surface  of  the  globe  supply  equally  rich 
and  varied  materials  for  commerce,  ranging  from  gold  and 
gems  of  the  costliest  kind,  down  to  the  humblest  necessaries 
of  daily  life.  Throughout  the  whole  twelve  thousand  islands, 
at  almost  every  step  towards  the  interior,  we  have  discovered 
some  new  article  of  merchandise,  some  valuable  kind  of  timber, 
some  odoriferous  gum,  some  species  of  root,  or  fruit,  or  grain, 
not  yet  included  in  the  catalogue  of  human  food,  some  rich 
mineral  or  vegetable  dye,  calculated  to  improve  the  beauty  of 
our  European  fabrics;  and  yet  we  have  hitherto  scarcely 
stepped  beyond  the  threshold  of  Borneo,  Celebes,  Palawan, 
Magindanao,  or  New  Guinea.  All  beyond  the  mere  fringe  of 
the  coast  is  unknown;  though  rivers  of  great  breadth  and 
depth  court  the  entrance  of  steamers,  and  promise  to  reveal 
new  lands  at  every  stroke  of  the  paddle.  Here  is  a  Paradise 
for  poultry  fanciers;  enough  to  make  one  entreat  to  be  ad- 
mitted into  the  Sarawak  service  as  an  attache  and  volunteer. 
What  delight  in  tracking  some  secluded  river,  or  exploring 
some  lovely  valley,  to  behold  in  the  villages  Cocks  and  Hens 
that  would  here  sell  for  their  weight  in  silver,  if  not  in  gold; 
or  perhaps  to  stumble  on  unknown  Pea-fowl  and  Pheasants,  a 
pair  of  which  would  draw  half  Middlesex  and  Surrey  to  the 
Zoological  Gardens ! 

The  addition  of  a  fifth  toe  to  the  foot  (the  monstra  per  ex- 
cessum  of  Blumenbach)  as  in  the  Dorking  variety,  is  more 


40  THE    DOMESTIC    FOWL. 

likely  than  the  crest  to  have  supervened  in  the  course  of  time. 
I  do  not  find  it  mentioned  by  any  earlier  writer  than  Columella. 
The  compilers  of  books  on  Poultry  have  stated  that  it  is  noticed 
by  Aristotle,  but  I  cannot  hit  upon  the  passage.  In  his  treatise 
on  the  Parts  of  Animals,  book  iv.,  chap.  12,  he  speaks  of  the 
four  toes  of  birds  in  general,  noticing  the  peculiarities  of  the 
Ostrich  and  the  Wryneck,  but  not  a  word  about  the  fifth  toe 
in  Domestic  Fowl,  which  he  would  scarcely  have  passed  over 
had  he  ever  observed  it;  particularly  as  other  remarkable  cir- 
cumstances, connected  with  them,  such  as  the  development  of 
the  egg,  &c.,  attracted  so  much  of  his  attention.  From  Aris- 
totle to  Columella  is  an  interval  of  about  400  years;  quite 
time  enough  to  render  such  a  slight  appendage  permanent  by 
hereditary  transmission.  The  new  member  would  probably 
appear  only  in  a  rudimental  form  at  first,  and  become  more 
strongly  developed  in  the  course  of  succeeding  generations. 
A  Cochin  China  Cock  in  my  possession  has  the  outer  toe  of 
each  foot  furnished  with  two  distinct  claws,  which  we  may 
take  to  be  the  earliest  indication  of  a  fifth  toe.  His  chickens 
inherit  the  same  peculiarity.  A  correspondent  (H.  H.)  on 
whom  I  can  rely,  says,  "I  had  a  Cock  of  the  Golden  Polish 
variety  that  lost  two  of  his  claws  by  accident,  and  in  their 
place  two  smaller  joints  grew  from  the  end  of  each  toe,  both 
provided  with  little  claws.  This  became  hereditary,  for  next 
season  there  were  two  chicks  hatched,  both  having  the  afore- 
said peculiarity/7  Analogous  instances  may  be  seen  in  Muse- 
ums, of  lizards  with  two  tails;  the  original  single  one  having 
been  lost  by  accident,  and  two  grew  in  its  place.  It  is  said, 
I  know  not  with  what  truth,  that  a  slight  notch  made  in  the 
stump  of  the  decaudated  reptile  will  insure  the  production  of 
a  double  tail.  From  the  time  of  Columella  tx)  the  present 
day,  a  fifth  toe  has  been  the  well-known  and  distinctive  cha- 
racteristic of  a  certain  breed. 

Next  to  the  Dog,  the  Fowl  has  been  the  most  constant 


THE    DOMESTIC    FOWL.  41 

attendant  upon  Man  in  his  migrations  and  his  occupation  of 
strange  lands.  The  carnivorous  diet  of  the  Dog  is  one  main 
cause  of  his  pre-eminence.  But  search  where  you  will,  except 
in  the  very  highest  latitudes,  you  will  find  in  New  Zealand, 
Australia,  the  American  Continents,  the  West  Indies,  and  in 
islands  innumerable,  Fowls  sharing  in  the  possession  and  settle- 
ment obtained  by  Man.  As  we  approach  the  Poles,  difficulties 
arise  in  the  way  of  their  further  companionship.  In  Green- 
land they  are  occasionally  kept  only  as  curiosities  and  rarities. 
And  Sir  Wm.  Hooker  tells  us  that  Poultry  of  all  kinds  is 
quite  unknown  to  the  Icelanders,  except  that  a  few  are  now 
and  then  conveyed  to  the  country  by  the  Danes,  who  are  ob- 
liged at  the  same  time  to  bring  with  them  a  sufficient  supply 
of  necessary  food,  i.  e.  grain,  for  their  support,  of  which  the 
island  furnishes  none.  Fowls,  however,  would  get  on  very 
well  with  a  fish  and  meat  diet,  with  grass  and  vegetables, 
assisted  by  a  little  imported  corn,  were  there  sufficient  induce- 
ment to  make  the  inhabitants  take  pains  about  their  main- 
tenance. But  a  little  powder  and  shot  procures  them  an 
abundance  of  wild-fowl  that  are  much  more  to  their  taste ; 
and  fresh-laid  eggs  would  be  little  cared  for  by  people,  who, 
like  the  Icelanders,  prefer  those  eggs  of  the  Eider  Duck  which 
have  young  ones  in  them. 

But  the  most  mysterious,  though  not  the  most  ungenial, 
localities  in  which  Fowls  have  hitherto  been  found,  are  the 
islands  scattered  over  the  vast  Pacific  Ocean.  How  they  got 
there  is  as  great  or  a  greater  puzzle  than  to  divine  the  origin 
of  the  human  population.  The  earliest  discoverers  found  the 
people  to  be  possessed  of  pigs,  dogs,  and  fowls,  all  domesticated 
for  the  sake  of  being  eaten.  "On  the  walk  to  Oree's  house 
(in  Huaheine),  Dr.  Sparrman  and  I  (Mr.  Gr.  Forster,  who 
accompanied  the  expedition  as  Naturalist)  saw  great  numbers 
of  hogs,  dogs,  and  fowls.  The  last  roamed  about  at  pleasure 

4* 


r  :  x  i  r : :  :    :  .  -  : 


THE    DOMESTIC    FOWL,  43 

likewise  in  great  plenty  in  the  Society  Isles  and  Friendly  Isles, 
at  which  last  they  are  of  a  prodigious  sise ;  they  are  also  not 
uncommon  at  the  Marquesas,  Hebrides,  and  New  Caledonia ; 
but  the  low  isles,  and  those  of  the  temperate  sone,  are  quite 
destitute  of  them." — Jfr.  /taster'*  Jo*r*<*l  of  Ofpfctm  CooKs 
Second  Voyage.  The  pigs  hav«  been  affirmed  to  differ  specifi- 
cally from  the  European  breeds;  less  has  been  said  about 
the  Poultry.  It  appears  that  there  are  different  varieties  in 
the  different  islands,  some  of  very  large  sise.  Our  great  com- 
mercial and  political  intercourse  with  the  East  makes  that  the 
quarter  from  whence  our  importations  of  Fowls  are  mostly 
drawn,  either  as  curious  specimens,  or  for  the  sake  of  im- 
proving our  stock ;  but  it  would  certainly  be  interesting,  and 
might  prove  useftil,  could  we  obtain  a  few  new  sorte,  such  as 
the  Friendly  Island  breed,  from  the  less  frequented  spots  in 
the  South  Seas»  Our  Colonists  and  Missionaries  in  the  Sand- 
wich Islands  and  Tahiti  might  surely  send  us  a  few  Cocks  and 
Hens  in  return  for  the  many  substantial  benefits  they  have 
derived  from  the  mother  country,  Mr.  Williams's  theory, 
which  he  supports  by  full  details  and  arguments,  is  that  Poty> 
Bttia  was  originally  colonised  and  occupied  by  emigrants  from 
the  Malay  peninsula  and  Sumatra,  He  says,  "to  QOittiftced 
am  I  of  the  practicability  of  paribnning  a  voyage  from  Sumatra 
to  Tahiti  in  one  of  the  large  native  canoes,  that,  if  an  object 
of  sufficient  magnitude  could  be  accomplished  by  it,  I  should 
feel  no  hesitation  in  undertaking  the  task*" — MimoiMvg  jEW- 
taproot,  p.  610.  He  also  oilers  a  probable  hypothesis  for  the 
existence  - ;  i not  races  of  Men  in  ihe  South  Sea  Islands, 

both  derived  from  the  great  Asiatic  Islands.  If  his  views  arc 
conv  v*  trot  alight  clue  to  the  introduction  of  Fowls 

into  the  isolated  recesses  of  the  Pacific  Ocean,  which  oaty 
makes  u«  •  x  -.« to  get  a  sight  of  some  genuine 

*  Poultry,  for  the  sake  of  comparfo%  them  with  tfct 
East  Indian  breeds.    If  they  be  found  to  rattftU*  tta*  fttattty. 


44  THE    DOMESTIC    FOWL. 

it  will  be  an  additional  confirmation  of  my  belief  that  the  lapse 
of  ages  upon  ages  is  insufficient  to  alter  any  one  living  creature 
into  a  new  species.  And  should  this  little  book  ever  penetrate 
so  far  into  the  other  hemisphere,  let  it  persuade  the  Sandwich 
Islanders  to  preserve  by  domestication,  and  by  transmission  to 
this  country,  a  stock  of  their  most  interesting,*  pretty,  and 
unique  little  Geese,  before  the  race  is  quite  swept  out  of 
existence. 

As  to  the  estimation  in  which  Domestic  Fowls  are  justly 
held,  it  is  impossible  for  me  to  proclaim  their  merits  ade- 
quately. Every  county  has  a  "  strain"  which  is  superior  to 
that  of  the  other  fifty-one  counties.  "  That  strain  again/'  as 
the  Duke  said  to  the  singing-boy.  Every  neighbourhood  has 
some  crack  breed  which  is  unrivalled  elsewhere;  every  old 
woman,  in  eVery  village,  has  some  pet  Cock  or  Hen  which 
she  would  not  part  with  for  twice  its  weight  in  butcher's  meat, 
and  an  ounce  of  snuff  into  the  bargain  : 

"Non,  mihi  si  linguae  centum  sint,  oraque  centum, 
Ferrea  vox,  a  strong  steel  pen,  unlimited  paper," 

could  I  completely  detail  the  virtues  attributed  to  Cocks  and 
Hens. 

Here  is  a  list  of  "  the  Physical  uses  of  a  Hen  and  its  parts :" — 

"  1.  The  Jelly  of  an  old  Hen,  made  of  a  Hen  cut  with  calves' 

feet,  and  sheep's  feet,  or  beef,  boiled  six  or  seven  hours  in  a 

close  vessel,  to  which  you  may  add  spices,  or  cordial  waters, 

is  a  great  strengthener  and  nourisher. 

"  2.  Cock  Ale  is  made  of  Hen's  flesh  (a  bit  of  a  bull,  surely), 
boiled  till  the  flesh  falls  from  the  bones;  then  it  is  beaten 
with  the  bones,  and  strained  for  wine  or  ale  with  spices. — 
Note.  The  flesh  of  Hens  is  better  than  that  of  Cocks,  except 

*  They  resemble  the  Anser  albifrons  in  miniature,  without  the  white 
front.  They  are'  so  tame  and  attached  as  to  follow  their  keeper 
about  the  house,  like  dogs. 


THE    DOMESTIC    FOWL.  45 

Capons.      The  flesh  of  a  black  Hen,  that  hath  not  laid,  is 
accounted  better  and  lighter. 

"3.  Cock-broth  is  thus  made  :  Tire  an  old  Cock,  till  lie  fall 
with  weariness,  then  kill  and  pluck  him,  and  gut  him,  and 
stuff  him  with  proper  physic,  and  boil  him  till  all  the  flesh 
'falls  off,  then  strain  it.  This  broth  mollifies,  and  by  means  of 
the  nitrous  parts  wherewith  that  decrepit  animal  is  endued, 
and  which  are  "exalted  by  that  tiring  of  him,  cuts  and  cleanseth, 
and  moves  the  belly,  the  rather  if  you  boil  therein  purging 
medicines.  It  is  famous  for  easing  the  pains  of  the  Colic 
(boiled  with  purgers  and  discutients),  good  against  a  Cough 
and  Tartar  of  the  Lungs  (boiled  with  breast  herbs).  • 

"  4.  The  Brain  thickens  and  stops  fluxes,  as  that  of  the 
belly  (taken  in  wine).  Women  anoint  therewith  the  gums 
of  Children  to  make  them  breed  teeth. 

"  5.  The  inward  tunicle  of  the  Stomach,  dried  in  the  sun, 
and  powdered,  binds  and  strengthens  the  stomach,  stops  vomit- 
ing and  fluxes,  and  breaks  the  stone. 

"  6.  Is  a  virtue  rivalling  that  of  Balm  of  Syriacum. 

"  7.  The  Gall  takes  off  spots  from  the  skin,  and  is  good  for 
the  eyes. 

"  8.  The  Grease  of  Hen  or  Capon  is  hot,  moist,  and  softening, 
between  the  Goose  and  Hogs'  grease,  and  obtunds  acrimony, 
cures  chapt  lips,  pains  in  the  ears,  and  pustles  in  the  eyes. 

"9.  The  Weasand  of  a  Cock,  burnt  and  not  consumed,  given 
before  supper,  is  an  antidote  to  the  influence  of  the  herb 
Dandelion. 

"  10.  The  Dung  doth  all  the  same  that  the  Pigeon's,  but 
weaker ;  and  besides,  cures  the  Colic  and  pain  of  the  Womb 
Moreover,  it  is  good  especially  against  the  Jaundice,  Stone, 
and  Suppression  of  Urine. 

"  Note.      The  white  part  of  the  Dung  is  esteemed  the  best. 

"  Give  half  a  drachm,  Morning  and  Evening,  for  four  or 
five  days. 


46  THE    DOMESTIC    FOWL. 

"  Outwardly  it  dries  running  heads,  and  other  scabs  (the 
ashes  sprinkled  on)." —  Wittughby,  book  ii.,  p.  157. 

More  medicinal  properties  are  added ;  so  that  a  good  Hen 
seems  to  be  a  perfect  walking  doctor's  shop.  Aldrovandi  has 
filled  more  than  sixteen  large  folio  pages  with  an  account  of  the 
medicinal  uses  of  Fowls  and  their  Eggs,  both  for  man  and 
beast,  which  we  do  not  quote  here,  as  they  would  meet  with 
little  more  serious  attention  than  the  foregoing.  Hens  were 
sacrificed  by  the  ancient  pagans  to  -ZEsculapius,  the  God  of 
Medicine,  on  account  of  the  services  they  were  supposed  to 
render  to  the  health  of  mankind.  Fever,  dysentery,  melan- 
choly, epilepsy,  cough,  colic,  all  yielded  to  some  preparation 
from  gallinaceous  materials.  Even  the  surgeon  was  super- 
seded by  their  virtues.  A  plaister  composed  of  white  of  egg 
and  white  frankincense  cured  broken  bones;  the  albumen 
alone  was  a  sovereign  vulnerary.  Oil  of  eggs  regenerated  hair 
more  surely  than  Rowland's  Macassar.  Other  preparations 
were  remedial  against  poison,  corns  on  the  toes,  the  bites  of 
mad  dogs  and  vipers,  and  frenzy.  In  short,  every  one  who 
had  a  tolerable  stock  of  poultry,  had  only  himself  to  blame 
if  he  did  not  repel  the  usual  ills  to  which  mortal  flesh  is 
subject. 

It  can,  therefore,  be  no  trifling  amount  of  intrinsic  excellence 
which  has  earned  for  them  such  a  universal  good  opinion. 
Independent  of  all  considerations  of  profitableness,  they  are 
gifted  with  two  qualifications,  which,  whether  in  man,  beast, 
or  bird,  are  sure  to  be  popular;  those  are,  a  courageous  temper, 
and  an  affectionate  disposition.  Add  to  these,  beauty  of  ap- 
pearance and  hardiness  of  constitution,  and  it  is  no  wonder 
that  each  old  wife  thinks  her  own  stud  of  Fowls  invaluable. 
It  is  recorded  of  Catherine  the  Second  of  Russia,  who  was 
great  in  more  senses  than  one,  that  she  compelled  a  rival  to 
her  throne  to  amuse  himself  with  tending  poultry,  and  "other 
imbecilities."  The  story  was  meant  to  tell  against  her ;  but 


THE    DOMESTIC    FOWL.  47 

worse  things  might  be  said  of  her,  and  perhaps  of  many  other 
jealous  tyrants. 

The  courage  of  the  Cock  is  emblematic,  his  gallantry  admi- 
rable, his  sense  of  discipline  and  subordination  most  exemplary. 
See  how  a  good  Game  Cock  of  two  or  three  years'  experience 
will,  in  five  minutes,  restore  order  into  an  uproarious  poultry- 
yard.  He  does  not  use  harsh  means  of  coercion,  when  mild 
will  suit  the  purpose.  A  look,  a  gesture,  a  deep  chuckling 
growl,  gives  the  hint  that  turbulence  is  no  longer  to  be  per- 
mitted ]  and  if  these  are  not  effectual,  severer  punishment  is 
fearlessly  administered.  Nor  is  he  aggressive  to  birds  of  other 
species.  He  allows  the  Turkey  to  strut  before  his  numerous 
dames,  and  the  Guinea  Fowl  to  court  his  single  mate  unin- 
terrupted ;  but  if  the  one  presumes  upon  his  superior  weight, 
and  the  other  on  his  cowardly  tiltings  from  behind,  he  soon 
makes  them  smart  for  their  rash  presumption.  His  politeness 
to  females  is  as  marked  as  were  Lord  Chesterfield's  attentions 
to  old  ladies,  and  much  more  unaffected.  Nor  does  he  merely 
act  the  agreeable  dangler  j  when  occasion  requires,  he  is  also 
their  brave  defender,  if  he  is  good  for  any  thing.  "They 
should  sometimes  offer  resistance,  and  protect  their  flock  of 
wives,  and  even  kill  a  serpent  or  other  noxious  animal  that 
threatens  danger." — Col.  lib.  viii.,  cap.  2.  A  Hen,  that  I 
caught  to  examine,  screamed  till  she  called  her  husband  to  her 
assistance.  Instantly  his  spur  was  buried  deep  in  the  fleshy 
part  of  my  thumb,  nor  did  his  anger  cease  till  the  lady  was  at 
liberty.  The  same  Game  Cock,  whenever  fowls  were  killed 
for  the  table,  made  a  point  of  attacking  the  man  whose  busi- 
ness it  was  to  secure  them,  tore  his  trowsers,  and  made  all 
possible  bold  resistance. 

"A  Black  Polish  Cock  that  our  shepherd  has,  struck  him 
the  other  morning  on  the  temples,  as  he  was  catehing  one  of 
the  Hens,  making  the  poor  fellow  faint  and  bleeding  for  some, 
time.  He  said  '  he  did  not  mind  hisself,  but  if  er  got  vleeing 


48  THE    DOMESTIC    FOWL. 

at  arn  of  the  childurn,  he'd  soon  het  his  head  off !'  I  hope  he 
will  not.  Some  years  back  I  had  an  old  Silver  Polish  that  would 
spur  some  time  with  my  hat  I  if  placed  before  him." — H.  H. 

The  Game  Cock  is  in  his  native  country  really  a  more  for- 
midable creature  than  he  is  here.  "The  Dutch  doctors  are 
of  opinion,  that  certain  cases  of  hydrophobia  which  have 
occurred  in  Java,  notwithstanding  no  instance  of  canine  mad- 
ness was  ever  known  on  the  island,  may  be  attributed  to  cli- 
mate, and  the  state  of  constitution  as  affected  by  it.  The  bite 
of  the  large  Indian  rat,  commonly  called  the  Bandicoot,  is 
supposed  to  occasion  hydrophobia  and  certain  death ;  an  opinion 
which,  I  understand,  is  also  entertained  on  the  coast  of  Malabar. 
The  bite  of  an  enraged  man  is  said  to  be  as  certain  of  pro- 
ducing hydrophobia  as  that  of  a  mad  dog,  two  cases  of  which 
had  happened  not  long  before  our  arrival.  Dr.  Le  Dulx 
mentions  several  instances  of  hydrophobia  succeeding  to  the 
bite  of  enraged  animals,  as  in  the  case  of  a  boy  bit  by  a  Duck 
which  he  had  disturbed  in  its  amours,  and  of  a  feeder  of  Cocks, 
who,  being  pecked  in  the  hand  by  one  of  these  animals  in 
separating  it  from  its  antagonist,  died  under  every  symptom 
of  hydrophobia  and  madness." — Barrow's  Voyage  to  Cochin 
China. 

"  Omnes  in  primis  Galli  Gallinacei  vitas  actiones  veri  patris- 
familias,  et  qui  in  eo  omnem  suam  curam  ponit,  et  studium, 
ut  families  suae  de  omnibus  necessariis  prospiciat,  significare 
potest.  Haec  enim  ales  totS,  die  quicquid  virium  habet,  id 
totum  ad  suorum  confert  salutem,  et  nullius  ret  minus,  quam 
sui  ipsius  solicita  est.  Unde  sapientissimus  Pythagoras  tarn 
providam  animalis,  et  erga  suos  promptam  naturam  considerans, 
dixit,  nutriendum  quidem  Gallum  esse ;  at  non  immolandum." — 
Aldrovandi. 

The  first  sentence  does  not  quite  construe,  but  means  to  say 
that  the  actions  of  the  entire  life  of  the  Gallinaceous  Cock 
show  that  he  is  a  most  excellent  family  man,  placing  his  whole 


THE    DOMESTIC    FOWL.  49 

care  and  study  in  providing  all  necessaries  for  his  household. 
For  this  bird  devotes  whatever  energy  he  has  the  livelong  day 
to  the  good  of  his  dependants,  and  is  solicitous  about  nothing 
less  than  self.  Whence  the  sage  Pythagoras,  considering  the 
provident  and  attentive  nature  of  the  creature,  declared  that 
the  Cock  ought  to  be  cherished,  not  sacrificed. 

The  Hen  is  deservedly  the  acknowledged  pattern  of  maternal 
love.  When  her  passion  of  philoprogenitiveness  is  disappointed 
by  the  failure  or  subtraction  of  her  own  brood,  she  will  either 
go  on  sitting  till  her  natural  powers  fail,  or  will  violently  kid- 
nap the  young  of  other  Fowls,  and  insist  upon  adopting  them. 
A  Hen  in  my  neighbourhood  was  kept  incubating  eleven  weeks 
before  she  was  allowed  to  lead  forth  a  clutch.  One  of  my  own 
took  two  chickens  away  from  the  family  of  another  Hen,  and 
went  about  with  them  the  greater  part  of  the  summer.  A 
black  Bantam  belonging  to  H.  H.  "had  a  singular  habit  of 
adopting  in  the  first  instance  a  single  half-grown  chick.  An- 
other years  he  actually  took  a  whole  brood  of  eight  little  things 
off  their  mother's  hands,  first  doing  battle  with  her  for  them. 
These  chicks  she  tended  carefully  for  nearly  two  months,  and 
then  turned  them  off  in  the  usual  way." 

In  another  case,  and  one  which  may  be  considered  more 
extraordinary,  a  Hen,  of  rather  a  violent  disposition,  was  much 
annoyed  by  a  dozen  small  forsaken  chickens  repairing  to  her, 
when  she  was  sitting  on  some  eggs  in  the  crib  of  an  outhouse, 
and  nestling  under  her  at  night.  For  a  whole- week  she  was 
at  constant  warfare  with  these  little  orphans,  pecking  them, 
and  injuring  some  of  them  severely.  On  a  sudden,  she  seemed 
to  change  her  mind,  and  from  that  time  became  excessively 
fond  of  them,  and  in  a  day  or  two  left  her  nest  eggs,  and 
proved  a  careful  and  tender  mother  to  them  for  several  months. 
This  Hen  was  a  Silver  Poland. 

"  I  witnessed  this  morning  the  daring  courage  of  one  of  my 
Hens,  in  knocking  a  Crow,  stunned  and  senseless  on  the  earth, 


50  THE    DOMESTIC    FOWL. 

that  had  attacked  a  chick  of  hers.  She  did  not  allow  it  time 
to  seize  the  chicken,  but  struck  at  it  with  both  beak  and 
spurs."— H.  IL,  July  13,  1848. 

"But  all  Hens  are  not  alike:  they  have  their  little  whims 
and  fancies,  likes  and  dislikes,  as  capricious  and  unaccountable 
as  those  of  other  females.  Some  are  gentle,  others  sanguinary ; 
some  are  lazy,  others  energetic  almost  to  insanity.  Some  can 
scarcely  be  kept  out  of  the  house ;  others  say,  l  Thank  you,  but 
Td  rather  be  left  to  myself/ 

"  Finally,  they  differ  in  manners  and  disposition ;  for  besides 
that  some  are  called  Domestic,  others  Wild,  even  among  the 
Domestic  ones,  some  by  their  very  nature  are  so  mild  and 
familiar  that  they  cannot  get  through  life  without  the  society 
of  mankind;  of  which  I  am  an  eye-witness.  For,  some  years 
ago,  I  kept  at  my  country-seat  a  Hen,  which,  besides  keeping 
by  herself  all  day  long,  and  wandering  about  the  house  apart 
from  the  companionship  of  her  fellows,  in  the  evening  would 
go  to  rest  nowhere  but  close  to  me  among  my  books,  and  those 
rather  big  ones,  (eosque  majores),  although  she  was  often  driven 
away.  Some,  on  the  other  hand,  so  far  from  taking  pleasure 
in  the  society  of  men,  are  so  shy  as  to  avoid  them  utterly; 
others  are  cruel  to  their  own  young;  others  suck  the  eggs  that 
themselves  have  laid/'- — Aldrovandi. 

A  fact  respecting  Fowls,  that  has  not  been  sufficiently  re- 
garded, but  which  goes  far  to  prove  their  high  antiquity,  is 
the  permanent  character  of  the  different  varieties.  Before 
attending  much  to  the  subject,  people  fancy  that  crossings  and 
intermixtures  may  be  infinitely  multiplied  and  continued,  re- 
stricted only  by  the  algebraic  law  of  Permutation  and  Combi- 
nation ;  and  such  is  the  current  opinion  among  many  who  are 
accustomed  to  see  the  diverse  colours  and  appearance  of  Fowls 
promiscuously  bred  in  a  farm-yard.  But  the  observant  breeder 
knows  that  such  is  not  the  case.  Nothing  is  more  difficult 
than  to  establish  a  permanent  intermediate  race  between  even 


THE    DOMESTIC    FOWL.  51 

nearly  allied  varieties.  In  a  few  generations  the  character 
reverts  to  that  of  one  or  other  of  the  parents ;  the  peculiarities 
of  an  old  type  reappear,  and  the  new  cross,  on  which  the  fancier 
was  beginning  to  glorify  himself,  vanishes.  The  more  hetero- 
geneous are  the  parents,  the  more  sudden  is  the  return  to  old- 
established  characters.  The  hybrid  progeny  are  either  utterly 
barren,  or  their  young  exhibit  the  likeness  of  their  grandfather 
or  grandmother,  not  of  their  actual  parents. 

"I  have  lately  succeeded  in  producing  a  most  magnificent 
Irpbrid  breed  between  the  Golden  and  Black  Polish,  having 
the  rich  spotted  body  of  the  former,  and  the  handsome  white 
crest  of  the  latter.  This  was  a  work  of  some  difficulty  and 
time,  and  I  am  still  so  particular  as  to  think  it  requires  one 
more  generation  to  bring  them  to  perfection." — "It  struck  me 
that  the  Golden  would  be  much  improved  by  the  handsome 
white  crest  of  the  Black  Polish.  By  selecting  at  first  some 
of  the  former  that  had  a  few  white  feathers  on  the  head,  and 
again  crossing  the  best  of  these  Hens  with  a  Polish  Cock  for 
two  seasons,  they  are  at  length  approaching  perfection,  and 
will  be  the  best  and  handsomest  breed  of  all.  A  trial  was 
made  vice  versd,  which  brought  them  perfectly  black,  with 
immense  black  heads." — "  It  is  rather  a  curious  fact,  that  my 
hybrids,  though  originating  from  two  varieties  of  Polish,  neither 
remarkable  for  being  good  incubators,  are  early  and  very  good 
and  steady  birds  to  set,  but  perhaps  not  remarkably  sweet- 
tempered  to  other  chicks.  I  cannot  explain  this,  unless  we 
take  it  on  the  rule  that  two  negatives  make  an  affirmative." 
So  far  so  good.  A  subsequent  report  is,  "  My  hybrid  chickens 
are  beginning  to  come  out,  and  I  find  many  <  cry  back/  as  I 
had  expected.  The  only  remedy  is  to  hatch  a  good  many,  and 
then  select.  In  a  few  years  the  breed  will  be  established." — 

n.H. 

Will  it?     Or  is  this  "crying  back"  only   the  beginning 


52  THE     DOMESTIC     FOWL. 

of  the  end?    Peistlietserus  may  still  have  to  utter  his  com- 
plaint : — 

"  Plague  on  thee ;  but  this  bird  of  mine  croaks  '  back  again.' " 

However,  the  latest  accounts  are  favourable. 

This  is  an  instance  of  the  results  of  crossing  between  two 
very  closely  related  sorts,  and  many  experimentalizing  amateurs 
could  produce  similar  instances.  But  the  results  of  more  dis- 
cordant and  ill-assorted  matches  are  more  immediate  and 
striking.  The  Zoological  Society  possessed,  in  May,  1848,  two 
birds  bred  between  the  Jungle  Fowl  (Sonnerat's  Cock)  and 
the  Red  Bantam,  that  bearing  the  greatest  resemblance  to  the 
Bankiva  Cock.  Their  pedigree  and  their  relationship  to  each 
species  is  the  same;  namely,  three-quarters  Bantam  and  one- 
quarter  Jungle  Fowl.  But  they  would  be  pronounced,  by  most 
persons  to  whom  their  origin  was  unknown,  to  be,  one  a  Ban- 
tam, the  other  a  Jungle  Fowl.  In  1849,  the  keepers  informed 
me  that,  if  hybrid  chickens  between  the  Jungle  and  Common 
Fowl  are  made  to  go  on  breeding  in  and  in,  the  progeny  is  at 
last  so  weak,  that  it  is  impossible  to  rear  them.  A  half-bred 
Sonnerat's  Jungle  and  Game  Cock,  obtained  from  the  Zoolo- 
gical Society,  differs  much  in  voice,  carriage,  and  plumage, 
from  any  Common  Fowl.  He  is  not  sterile,  having  already 
been  the  parent  of  chickens,  but  his  disposition  is  strange  and 
cruel :  he  has  already  killed  one  valuable  Hen,  and  severely 
injured  others  by  lacerating  their  combs  and  heads.  This  doea 
not  look  as  if  the  amalgamation  of  the  Jungle  and  the  Domes- 
tic Fowl  were  a  very  natural  proceeding.  "Le  Roi,  Lieute- 
nant of  the  Rangers  at  Versailles,  put  a  hen  Golden  Pheasant 
to  a  cock  Pheasant  of  this  country,  and  obtained  two  cock 
Pheasants  very  like  the  common  kind:  but  the  plumage  had 
a  dirty  cast,  and  only  a  few  yellow  feathers  on  the  head  like 
those  of  the  Golden  Pheasant;  and  these  two  young  males  be- 
ing paired  with  European  hen  Pheasants,  one  succeeded  the 


THE     DOMESTIC     FOWL.  53 

second  year,  and  a  hen  Pheasant  was  hatched  which  could 
never  be  made  to  breed.  The  two  Cocks  produced  no  more." — • 
Buffos,  We  reserve  for  the  section  on  the  Pheasant  Malay 
Fowl,  what  is  to  be  said  respecting  the  absurd  notion,  that  a 
cross  with  the  common  Pheasant  has  been  instrumental  in  im- 
proving our  Domestic  Poultry.  Baptista  Porta  states  that  he 
himself  reared  hybrids  between  a  Dove,  "Columbus,"  and  a 
dwarf  Hen,  which  combined  the  lineaments  of  either  parent. 
We  are  not  told  whether  they  proved  prolific  or  sterile;  but, 
in  fact,  such  strange  combinations  appear  to  be  in  a  state  of 
what  mathematicians  call  "  unstable  equilibrium" — St.  Paul's 
Cathedral  turned  upside  down,  and  balanced  by  a  cunning 
professor  of  gymnastics  on  the  tip  end  of  the  cross — the  cen- 
tre of  gravity  is  in  the  wrong  place,  and  the  least  touch,  the 
least  hair's  breadth  of  wavering,  is  sufficient  to  bring  down 
ruin.  Or  an  analogy  may  be  imagined  forth  by  those  delicate 
chemical  unions  of  matter,  such  as  gunpowder  and  fulminating 
silver,  where  the  elementary  particles  are  combined  indeed, 
but  can  hardly  be  moved  without  one  flying  one  way  and  one 
another,  leaving  little  that  is  visible  or  satisfactory  behind 
them.  Or  a  more  homely  comparison  may  be  drawn  from  ill- 
made  melted  butter,  which  is  really  not  melted  butter  at  all, 
but  a  delicately  manipulated  commingling  of  water,  flour,  and 
oil.  Unless  the  cook  be  skilful,  the  flour  settles  in  one  di- 
rection, the  water  runs  a  second  way,  and  the  oil  floats  a 
third;  proving  that  melted  butter,  like  gallinaceous  monstrosi- 
ties, is  an  unnatural  affair.  The  Zoological  Society  also  pos- 
sesses hybrids  between  the  Guinea  Fowl  and  the  Domestic 
Fowl ;  curious  creatures,  that  are  sterile  hitherto,  and  look  as 
if  they  intended  so  to  remain.  Their  plumage  is  barred,  not 
spotted,  with  dirty  white  and  gray ;  there  is  something  between 
a  ruff  and  a  hackle  hanging  around  their  necks;  and  every 
poulterer  who  sees  them  must  wonder,  not  that  they  do  not 
multiply,  but  that  they  ever  came  into  the  world  at  all.  It  is 

5* 


54  THE     DOMESTIC     FOWL. 

very  important,  not  only  for  practical  purposes,  but  also  as 
involving  a  great  physiological  principle,  to  show  that  species 
and  varieties  are  permanent,  not  ever-changing;  that  like  does 
beget  like ;  and  that  creatures  are  not  moulded  and  modified 
according  to  circumstances,  and  do  not  remodel  their  members 
or  acquire  new  ones,  as  the  exigency  of  their  situation  for  the 
time  being  demands.  In  the  case  of  Fowls,  the  theory  of  pro- 
gressive development  and  change  is  certainly  unsupported  by 
evidence,  though  they  and  other  domesticated  animals  are  sup- 
posed to  be  instances  in  which  it  is  peculiarly  likely  to  be  ex- 
emplified. Before  the  Christian  era,  the  varieties  of  fowl  were 
not  less  numerous,  but  in  many  instances  were  probably  iden- 
tical with  what  we  have  at  the  present  day.  Columella  par- 
ticularly recommends  as  the  best,  those  sorts  that  have  five 
toes  and  white  ears — the  marks  of  our  highly-esteemed  breeds, 
the  Dorking  and  the  Spanish.  He  warns  his  contemporaries 
that  Bantams,  "  pumiliones  aves,"  will  prove  troublesome,  by 
preventing  the  eggs  of  larger  birds  from  being  properly  ferti- 
lized. He  dismissed  the  fighting  breed  as  being  foreign  to  his 
subject,  which  treated  only  of  profitable  sorts,  and  had  nothing 
to  do  with  cock-fighting.  He  mentions  the  Tanagric,  the  Rho- 
dian,  the  Chalcidic,  and  the  Medic,  as  tall  birds  of  high  cou- 
rage, but  prefers  their  own  common  sort,  "  nostrum  vernacu- 
lum,"  for  economical  purposes,  allowing,  however,  that  a  first 
cross  produces  fine  chickens.  "  But  the  Adrianic  Hens  are 
small  indeed ;  but  they  lay  every  day.  They  are  ill-tempered, 
and  frequently  kill  the  (he  does  not  say  their  own)  young. 
And  they  are  of  all  sorts  of  colours."  Many  of  our  larger 
Bantams  exactly  tally  to  this,  particularly  in  the  savage 
propensity  to  kill  chickens  which  they  discover  to  Ibe  substi- 
tuted. 

We  may,  therefore,  infer  that  our  existing  Domestic  Fowls 
are  not  improvements  or  modifications  of  those  Cocks  that  are 
now  found  wild  in  the  East,  but  that  they  have  as  much  right 


THE     DOMESTIC      FOWL.  55 

to  be  called  original  varieties  or  species  (whichever  term  it 
may  be  thought  right  to  apply  to  them)  as  any  of  those  which 
are  allowed  to  rank  in  the  catalogues  of  the  naturalist.  The 
converse  opinion,  namely,  that  the  forms  of  living  creatures  are 
undergoing  perpetual  changes,  according  to  the  circumstances 
under  which  they  happen  to  be  placed,  has  only  to  be  stated 
in  the  exaggerated  length  to  which  some  theorists  have  carried 
it,  to  refute  itself  by  the  outrageous  shock  it  gives  to  experi- 
ence and  common  sense.  Buffon  thus  accounts  for  the  exist- 
ence of  various  species  of  Pheasants  :-^-a  Since  no  naturalist  or 
traveller  has  given  the  least  hint  concerning  the  original 
abode  of  the  Black-and- White  (our  Silver)  Pheasant,  we  are 
obliged  to  form  conjectures.  I  am  inclined  to  suppose  that,  as 
the  Pheasant  of  Georgia  (the  common  species  of  our  preserves), 
having  migrated  towards  the  east,  and  having  fixed  its  resi- 
dence in  the  southern  or  temperate  provinces  of  China,  has  be- 
come the  Painted  (with  us  Golden)  Pheasant,  so  the  White 
Pheasant,  which  is  an  inhabitant  of  our  cold  climates,  or  that 
of  Tartary,  having  travelled  into  the  northern  provinces  of 
China,  has  become  the  pencilled  or  silver  kind;  that  it  has 
there  grown  to  a  greater  size  than  the  original  Pheasant,  or 
that  of  Georgia,  because  it  has  found  in  those  provinces  food 
more  plentiful  and  better  suited  to  its  nature ;  but  that  it  be- 
trays the  marks  of  a  new  climate  in  its  air,  port,  and  external 
form — in  all  which  it  resembles  the  Painted  Pheasant,  but  re- 
tains of  the  original  Pheasant  the  red  orbits,  which  have  been 
even  expanded  from  the  same  causes  undoubtedly  that  pro- 
moted the  growth  of  its  body  and  gave  it  a  superiority  over  the 
ordinary  Pheasant."  By  this  sort  of  gentle  transmutation, 
any  one  bird  may  be  easily  manufactured  from  any  other. 
Dr.  Erasmus  Darwin  proceeds  boldly  to  the  work,  and  carries 
it  out  on  a  grand  scale.  "  As  Linnaeus  has  conjectured  in  re- 
spect to  the  vegetable  world  (where  ?),  it  is  not  impossible  but 
the  great  variety  of  species  of  animals,  which  now  tenant  the 


56  THE     DOMESTIC     FOWL. 

earth,  may  have  had  their  origin  from  the  mixture  of  a  few 
natural  orders. 

"Such  a  promiscuous  intercourse  of  animals  is  said  to  exist 
at  this  day  in  New  South  "Wales,  by  Captain  Hunter.  And 
that  not  only  amongst  the  quadrupeds  and  birds  of  different 
kinds,  but  even  amongst  the  fish,  and,  as  he  believes,  amongst 
the  vegetables.  He  speaks  of  an  animal  between  the  opossum 
and  the  kangaroo,  from  the  size  of  a  sheep  to  that  of  a-  rat. 
Many  fish  seem  to  partake  of  the  shark;  some  with  a  skait's 
head  and  shoulders,  and  the  hind  part  of  a  shark;  others  with 
a  shark's  head  and  the  body  of  a  mullet;  and  some  with  a 
shark's  head  and  the  flat  body  of  a  sting-ray.  Many  birds 
partake  of  the  Parrot :  some  have  the  head,  neck,  and  bill  of 
a  Parrot,  with  long  straight  feet  and  legs ;  others  with  legs  and 
feet  of  a  Parrot,  with  head  and  neck  of  a  Sea-gull/'* — Zoono- 
mia,  vol.  i.,  p.  499. 

Again  he  continues,  even  yet  more  adventurously : — 
"  Another  great  want  felt  by  animals  consists  in  the  means 
of  procuring  food,  which  has  diversified  the  fonns  of  all  spe- 
cies. Thus,  the  nose  of  the  swine  has  become  hard  for  the 
purpose  of  turning  up  the  soil  in  search  of  insects  and  of  roots. 
The  trunk  of  the  elephant  is  an  elongation  of  the  nose  for  the 
purpose  of  pulling  down  the  branches  of  trees  for  his  food,  and 
for  taking  up  water  without  bending  his  knees.  Beasts  of 
prey  have  acquired  strong  jaws  or  talons.  Cattle  have  ac- 
quired a  rough  tongue  and  a  rough  palate  to  pull  off  the 
blades  of  grass,  as  cows  and  sheep.  Some  birds  have  acquired 
beaks  adapted  to  break  the  harder  seeds,  as  sparrows.  Others 
for  the  softer  seeds  or  flowers,  or  the  buds  of  trees,  as  the 
Finches.  Other  birds  have  acquired  long  beaks  to  penetrate  the 


*  Some  of  our  decoy-men  call  the  Godwit  a  "half-bred  Curlew ;  " 
whether  they  have  any  belief  in  such  a  pedigree,  they  could  not, 
perhaps,  themselves  declare. 


THE      DOMESTIC     FOWL.  57 

moister  soils  in  search  of  insects  or  roots,  as  Woodcocks;  and 
others  broad  ones  to  filtrate  the  water  of  lakes,  and  to  retain 
aquatic  insects.  All  which  seem  to  have  been  gradually  pro- 
duced during  many  generations,  by  the  perpetual  endeavour  of 
the,  creatures  to  supply  the  want  of  food ',  and  to  have  been  deli- 
vered to  their  posterity  with  constant  improvement  of  them,  for 
the  purposes  required. 

"Would  it  then  be  too  bold  to  imagine,  that  all  warm- 
blooded animals  have  arisen  from  one  living  filament,  which 
the  great  First  Cause  endued  with  animality,  with  the  power 
of  acquiring  new  parts,  attended  with  new  propensities,  di- 
rected by  irritations,  sensations,  volitions,  and  associations ;  and 
thus  possessing  the  faculty  of  continuing  to  improve  by  its  own 
inherent  activity,  and  of  delivering  down  those  improvements 
by  generation  to  its  posterity,  world  without  end !" — Id.  vol.  i. 
p.  505. 

These  extracts  are  not  given  from  any  disrespect  to  the  abi- 
lities or  intentions  of  the  writers,  for  they  were  both  men  to 
whom  science  is  much  indebted,  but  to  show  what  strange  and 
startling  conclusions  may  be  arrived  at  by  arguing  from  pre- 
mises that  are  not  founded  on  proved  facts,  but  on  plausibility 
and  fashionable  hypothesis  merely.  But  we  will  now  main- 
tain unhesitatingly,  that  it  was  not  man  or  his  domestication, 
or  any  inherent  tendency  in  the  creatures  themselves,  that  gave 
feathered  crests  to  the  Poland  Fowl,  dwarfed  the  Bantam,  ex- 
panded the  Dorking,  enlarged  the  Malay  and  Cochin-China 
Fowl,  inspired  courage  to  the  Game  Cock,  or  made  the  Hen, 
next  to  Woman,  the  most  exemplary  of  mothers :  unless  we 
believe  it  was  Man  who  arranged  the  strata  in  the  ribs  of  the 
earth,  and  prescribed  to  the  sea  its  everchanging  boundaries. 
Man  is  powerful  to  have  dominion;  God  alone  is  potent  to 
create — His  Providence  to  overrule.  Not  by  Man,  nor  Chance, 
nor  by  generative  force  of  an  idol  called  Nature,  have  the 
things  which  we  see,  and  the  diversities  in  our  living  fellow- 


58  THE      DOMESTIC     FOWL. 

creatures,  been  brought  about.  No ;  most  thankfully,  no  . 
Then  would  matters  have  been  far  less  harmoniously,  far  less 
benignantly  arranged.  It  is  our  greatest  consolation  to  feel 
assured  that  all  the  physical  changes  which  this  earth  has  un- 
dergone, and  every  renovation  of  its  inhabitants,  have  been 
from  the  beginning  foreordained  by  that  all-wise  and  all-power- 
ful Being,  in  whose  presence  (and  we  are  ever  in  His  pre- 
sence) the  best  and  greatest  of  us  would  be  crushed  into 
nothingness,  did  we  not, -to  our  comfort,  believe  that  He  is 
not  the  Creator  merely,  but  the  Father  and  Protector  of  every 
animated  creature.  "  These  wait  all  upon  Thee,  that  Thou 
mayest  give  them  meat  in  due  season.  When  Thou  givest  it 
them,  they  gather  it,  and  when  Thou  openest  Thy  hand,  they 
are  filled  with  good.  When  thou  hidest  Thy  face,  they  are 
troubled.  When  Thou  takest  away  their  breath  they  die,  and 
are  turned  again  to  their  dust." 


CHAPTER  H. 

THE   REARING  AND   MANAGEMENT   OF    FOWLS. 

I  CANNOT  but  think  that  Mr.  Dixon  underrates  the  profitable- 
ness of  good  Fowls  in  the  keeping  of  intelligent  breeders ;  they 
may  be  unproductive  in  ignorant  and  careless  hands,  but  not  so 
when  properly  attended  to.  I  understand  that  a  very  respect- 
able gentleman  of  Rhode  Island,  quite  experienced  in  the 
breeding  and  management  of  all  kinds  of  Fowls,  is  wont  to 
say,  that  four  acres  of  land,  devoted  to  the  rearing  of  the  best 
varieties  of  poultry,  will,  at  common  prices,  be  quite  as  pro- 
ductive as  a  farm  of  150  acres  cultivated  in  the  ordinary  way. 
The  eggs  of  the  common  and  cheaper  kinds  which  might  be 
used  for  incubators  and  nurses,  would  pay,  or  could  be  made 
to  pay,  if  preserved  as  herein  directed,  and  sold  at  the  proper 
time,  all  expenses  of  feed,  etc.;  and  it  is  well  known  that  good 
Capons  of  the  larger  breeds  will  bring  in  any  of  our  larger 
markets  from  3  to  5  dollars  per  pair,  and  early  spring  chick- 
ens from  20  to  25  cts  per  pound.  To  make  poultry  profitable, 
then,  it  is  only  necessary  that  the  better  kinds  be  bred  from, 
that  suitable  places  be  provided  for  them,  that  they  be  proper- 
ly fed,  and  carefully  and  intelligently  managed — things  which 
have  rarely  conspired  in  any  one  instance  heretofore  to  enable, 
us  to  judge  what  might  be  made  out  of  poultry  under  the  most 
favourable  circumstances.  I  have  deemed  this  preliminary 
remark  necessary  before  introducing  the  reader  to  what  Mr. 
Dixon  has  further  to  say  on  the  rearing  and  management  of 


£0  THE       REARING      AND 

Fowls.  He  says : — There  are  two  classes  of  Fowl-breeders : 
those  who  rear  them  for  amusement,  and  for  the  convenience 
of  having  a  few  chickens  at  hand  to  kill,  and  a  few  Hens  on 
the  goodness  of  whose  eggs  they  can  depend ;  and  those  whose 
only  object  is  to  increase  their  stock  as  fast  as  possible,  as  a 
matter  of  business,  and  solely  for  gain  and  profit.  It  may 
safely  be  stated  that  the  number  of  those  who  can  strictly  be 
included  in  this  latter  division -is  extremely  limited.  Even 
the  poor  cottager  who  has  just  a  couple  of  Hens,  and  is  depend- 
ent upon  some  richer  neighbour  for  a  supply  of  eggs  that  will 
produce  chickens,  keeps  them  more  because  she  finds  pleasure 
in  seeing  the  good  creatures  busying  about  with  their  broods, 
than  for  any  profitable  advantage  she  is  likely  to  get  by  them. 
If  she  be  poor,  with  a  large  family,  she  no  more  presumes  to 
indulge  herself  with  keeping  Fowls,  than  she  would  with  a 
caged  Lark,  or  Goldfinch,  or  Thrush.*  If  she  be  lone  and  in- 
dustrious, and  so  have  a  trifle  to  spare,  or  be  the  childless 
wife  of  a  thrifty  husband,  she  may  gratify  her  pride  with 
Cocks  and  Hens,  to  the  envy  of  her  neighbours.  Even  on 
large  farms  it  is  more  as  save-alls  and  collectors  of  scattered 
fragments,  which  would  otherwise  be  wasted,  that  Fowls  are 
serviceable.  And  if  the  farmer  were  to  charge  his  wife  with 
all  the  corn  consumed  in  their  rearing  and  fatting,  we  may 
venture  to  assert  that  a  much  smaller  supply  of  them  would  be 
sent  to  market.  These  observations  are  less  applicable  to 
Ducks,  Geese,  and  Turkeys;  but  in  no  case  is  any  account 
taken  of  the  time  their  tending  demands,  that  being  considered 
as  part  of  the  household  routine,  or  even  in  the  light  of  a  re- 
laxation. It  is  not  by  those  who  usually  rear  chickens ,  that 
large  profits  are  made,  although  the  gross  sum  returned  at  the 


*  A  laying  hen  can  be  kept  on  good  corn  at  an  expense  of  only 
2  cts.  per  week.  Where  chickens  have  a  run,  they  can  be  raised  for 
half  what  they  may  be  sold  for. — ED. 


MANAGEMENT    OP    FOWLS.  61 

end  of  the  year  may  appear  to  be  large.*  The  greatest  gain- 
ers are  the  travelling  dealers  who  scour  the  country,  and  buy, 
for  the  lowest  farthing  they  can  get  them,  small  lots  of  Fowls 
and  eggs  here  and  there,  the  superabundant  produce  of  various 
housewives,  either  disposing  of  them  immediately  at  advanced 
prices,  or  shutting  up  the  birds  at  once  to  be  fatted  for  mar- 
ket. The  poulterers  and  feeders  on  a  large  scale  in  great 
towns  doubtless  derive  a  remunerating  trade.  It  is  the  middle 
men  who  are  the  principal  gainers.  And  when  we  shall  have 
succeeded  in  producing  peaches  and  nectarines  for  the  million 
for  dessert,  we  may  calculate  on  rearing  Poultry  for  the  mil- 
lion for  dinner. 

Those  who  set  about  keeping  Fowls,  as  amateurs  for  the 
first  time,  to  whom  alone  we  address  ourselves,  are  recommended 
to  begin  with  a  limited  number,  such  as  a  Cock  and  four  or 
five  Hens,  of  some  distinct  and  choice  breed  j  or,  if  it  be  de- 
sired to  test  the  value  of  different  sorts  of  Hens,  one  or  two 
of  them  may  be  admitted,  care  being  taken  to  separate  all  the 
cross-bred  progeny  for  the  fatting  coop  and  the  dinner-table.  It 
will  add  to  the  amusement  derived,  if,  in  the  first  instance, 
strong  three-quarter  grown  chickens  are  procured,  instead  of 
adult  birds,  so  that  an  opportunity  is  given  of  watching  their 
progress  to  maturity. 

As  to  fowl-houses  and  other  accommodations,  so  much  de- 
pends upon  circumstances,  that  minute  directions  are  almost 
impertinent.  The  three  grand  requisites  are  cleanliness,  dry- 
ness,  and  warmth.  Those  who  wish  for  any  thing  on  a  large 
scale,  will  find  plenty  of  plans  and  descriptions  in  books,  so 
that  if  they  choose  they  may  lay  out  as  much  money  in  a  hen- 
house as  would  build  a  comfortable  cottage  orne'e.  But  most 


*  The  gross  proceeds  of  eggs  and  poultry  sold  in  the  U.  States 
amount  to  twenty  millions  of  dollars.  In  1840,  it  was  12,176,170 
dollars. — ED. 

6 


62  THE    REARING    AND 

people  have  little  choice  in  the  matter:  they  must  take  or 
adapt  such  conveniences  as  they  find  around  them.  The 
Fowls  themselves  are  not  very  fastidious ;  but  we  may  be  sure 
that  the  more  we  attend  to  the  comforts  of  our  domestic  ani- 
mals, the  more  they  will  reward  our  trouble. 

In  the  first  place,  then,  the  Fowls  should  have  a  good  roof 
overhead.  Many  such  outbuildings  are  merely  tiled,  my  own, 
till  lately,  among  the  number.  During  summer  this  con- 
struction is  the  best,  as  all  night  long  the  house  is  ventilated 
with  warm  air  passing  through  the  interstices  of  the  tiles  that 
have  been  heated  by  the  sun  the  whole  day.  Of  course  the 
roof  is  supposed  to  be  in  such  good  repair,  and  the  tiles  so 
well  overlapped,  that  no  drippings  of  water  from  above  are 
admitted.  But  in  winter  such  draughts  are  very  injurious, 
particularly  as  the  Fowls  will  roost  as  near  to  the  roof  as  they 
can  get,  so  that  their  head,  the  most  sensitive  part,  is  most  ex- 
posed to  the  influence  of  cold.  In  the  autumn  of  1847  I  lost 
several  favourite  birds — a  valuable  Turkey  among  the  number 
— solely  from  this  cause,  as  I  believe.  The  expense  of  ceiling 
with  lath  and  plaster  is  trifling,  the  winter  comfort  of  the 
Fowls  must  be  much  increased,  and  with  it  their  health  and 
profitableness.  Leaving  the  door  open  for  a  while  every  day 
will  sufficiently  change  the  air  in  any  weather. 

Some  people  allow  their  Fowls  to  roost  abroad  all  night, 
in  all  weathers,  in  hawthorn  or  elder-trees,  that  stand  near  the 
fowl-houses.  But  the  plan  is  a  slovenly  mode  of  keeping  even 
the  humblest  live  stock :  it  offers  a  temptation  to  thieves,  and 
the  health  of  the  Fowls  cannot  be  improved  by  their  being 
soaked  all  night  long  in  drenching  rain,  or  having  their  feet 
frozen  to  the  branches.  There  is  no  difficulty  in  accustoming 
any  sort  of  poultry,  except  the  Peafowl,  to  regular  housing 
at  night. 

Rough  poles,  two  or  three  inches  in  diameter,  with  the  bark 
left  on,  make  the  best  roosting  perches;  to  which  a  hen- ladder 


MANAGEMENT    OP    FOWLS.  63 

should  afford  a  convenient  means  of  ascent,  to  save  the  birds 
the  strain  of  flying  up,  and  perhaps  frequent  falls  in  conse- 
quence of  failure.  A  Tien-ladder  is  an  indispensable  piece  of 
furniture,  though  frequently  absent.  The  nests  or  laying 
places  may  be  either  wooden  fixtures  contiguous  to  the  wall, 
or  the  Hens  may  be  accommodated  with  shallow  hampers  here 
and  there,  out  of  the  way  of  dirt,  and  easily  reached.*  The 
fixed  nests  should  be  thoroughly  whitewashed  inside  and  out, 
at  least  once  a  month  during  summer,  to  destroy  fleas,  &c. 
The  hampers  may  be  taken  down,  shaken  out,  and  completely 
purified  at  intervals. 

It  is  as  well  to  have  the  fixed  laying  places  made  not  larger 
than  is  sufficient  to  accommodate  a  full-sized  Hen,  in  order  to 
prevent  two  or  more  Hens  from  quarrelling  for  the  same  nest. 
I  have  seen  excellent  laying  and  sitting-boxes,  of  a  convenient 
capacity,  built  with  brick-work,  up  against  one  or  more  sides 
of  the  fowl-house,  much  in  the  same  way  as  is  seen  in  the 
lockers  in  old-fashioned  manorial  dovecotes.  Each  box  was 
fitted  with  a  loose,  thin  wooden  bottom,  to  slide  over  the 
bottom  of  stone  or  brickwork,  and  having  a  half-inch  rim  in 
front,  to  keep  the  eggs  from  rolling  out.  The  plan  is  a  good 
one.  After  each  sitting,  the  sliding  bottom  of  the  box  can  be 
taken  out,  scoured  and  scalded,  and  the  brickwork  washed  and 
white-washed,  as  may  the  wooden  slide  also.  A  great  con- 
venience, especially  where  a  numerous  and  various  head  of 
poultry  is  kept,  will  be  found  in  a  range  of  small  separate 
fowl-houses  about  a  cubic  yard  or  a  little  more  in  size,  each 
with  its  own  door  fastened  by  a  button,  and  a  latticed  aperture 
to  admit  air  over  the  door.  Into  these,  each  breeding  fowl, 
with  her  young,  can  be  separately  driven  from  the  coops  at 
night,  and  remain  there  without  disturbance  or  quarrels  till 
the  proper  time  to  go  abroad  next  day.  Each  of  these  private 

*  Vide  Mr.  David  Taggart's  letter  at  the  end  of  this  chapter. — ED. 


64  THE    BEARING    AND 

apartments  can  be  gravelled  or  littered,  according  to  the  re- 
quirements of  their  occupants,  and  supplied  with  pans  of  water, 
green  turves,  a  cabbage,  a  handful  of  corn,  or  whatever  else  is 
wanted.  A  recent  traveller  in  Connemara  found  the  cottagers' 
Hens  accommodated  with  neatly  worked  straw-baskets,  fashioned 
like  a  reticule,  or  a  watch-pocket  .at  the  bed's  head.  These 
were  hung  up  against  the  wall  at  one  end  of  the  hovel  for  the 
Hens  to  lay  in  ;  the  reason  for  the  arrangement  being,  that 
the  sow  and  pigs  occupied  the  other  end,  and  would  surely 
devour  any  eggs  that  were  laid  on  the  ground.  Though  eggs 
fetched  only  fourpence  a  score,  it  would  not  do  to  lose  them  : 
other  provisions  bore  proportionate  prices.  The  paradox 
of  starvation  amidst  cheapness  and  abundance  is  extremely 
puzzling. 

If  the  floor  of  the  fowl-house  can  be  swept  every  day,  and 
sprinkled  with  fresh  sand,  gravel,  or  ashes,  so  much  the  better. 
Dust  and  cobwebs  on  the  walls,  and  up  the  corners,  are  neither 
a  decoration  nor  an  advantage.  Cobbett  says  that  no  pigsty 
is  what  it  ought  to  be,  unless  it  is  clean  enough  and  dry 
enough  for  a  man,  upon  a  pinch,  to  pass  a  night  in  it  with 
tolerable  comfort;  we  say  that  no  fowl-house  is  what  it  ought 
to  be,  unless  it  is  in  such  a  state  as  to  afford  a  lady,  without 
offending  her  sense  of  decent  propriety,  a  respectable  shelter 
on  a  showery  day.  A  false  ceiling  of  wood  suspended  beneath 
the  roosting  perches  is  a  mode  sometimes  adopted  of  keeping 
the  floor  of  the  house  clean,  by  catching  the  dung  as  it  falls 
from  the  Fowls;  but  the  plan  requires  extreme  cleanliness  on 
the  part  of  the  attendants;  the  filth  out  of  sight  is  apt  to  be 
out  of  mind,  and  allowed  to  accumulate,  and  is  also  brought 
too  close  under  the  Fowls  themselves,  even  if  it  be  removed 
daily.  To  close  all,  a  good  door  is  requisite,  with  a  small 
wicket  gate  at  the  bottom,  to  allow  ingress  and  egress.  It 
is  better  that  Turkeys  should  not  roost  in  the  same  house,  as 
they  are  apt  to  be  cross  to  sitting  and  laying  Hens;  if  they 


MANAGEMENT    OF    FOWLS.  65 

do,  the  wicket  must  be  of  proportional  size.  My  readers,  I 
hope,  will  not  be  offended  at  a  hint  that  a  hole  that  will  admit 
a  Turkey, "will  also  allow  a  Hen  to  pass;  and  that  there  is  no 
need  to  make  a  smaller  aperture  by  the  side  of  the  larger, 
unless  they  like  the  look  of  it.  A  first-rate  lock  can  do  no 
harm  on  the  door,  as  Columella  advises,  "That  no  cats  or 
snakes  have  access  to  the  birds,  and  that  other  equally  noxious 
pests*  be  kept  at  a  distance."  Possibly  even  in  classical  times 
there  were  such  creatures  as  fowl-stealers. 

With  peace  and  plenty  the  newly  arrived  young  Fowls  will 
thrive  apace.  Soon  after  they  are  full-grown,  the  comb  both 
of  the  Cock  and  the  Hens  will  be  observed  to  become  of  a  more 
brilliant  red,  the  Cock  will  crow  more  lustily,  and  with  more 
of  a  canto  fermo  than  before,  the  Hens  will  grow  animated, 
restless,  full  of  busy  importance,  as  if  a  new  idea  had  lately 
broke  in  upon  their  minds.  By-and-by  they  will  commence 
prating  and  cackling,  and  in  a  few  days  the  delighted  Pullet 
will  lay  her  first  egg.  It  is  hard  to  say  which  receives  the 
most  pleasure  at  contemplating  the  smooth,  immaculate  pro- 
duction, the  Hen  or  her  amateur  owner,  f  And  when,  time 
after  time,  the  first  instalment  is  followed  by  similar  deposits, 
she  thinks  herself,  and  is  thought,  a  perfect  paragon.  Such 
are  the  pleasures  of  productiveness.  Those  whose  inherited 
wealth  comes  to  them  quarterly  or  annually,  without  any 
thought  or  exertion  on  their  part,  have  no  conception  how 
bright  and  beautiful  the  money  looks  of  which  they  can  say, 
"I  have  fairly  and  honestly  earned  it;  I  have  done  something 
useful  for  it."  So  with  the  Hen ;  she  is  an  industrious  little 
save-all.  She  rescues  from  waste  many  a  minute  portion  of 


*  "Pestis,  a  rogue,  a  villain." — Ainsworth's  Dictionary. 

f  The  very  first  egg,  however,  which  a  Pullet  lays  is  seldom  quite 
immaculate,  but  bears  marks  of  the  effort  it  has  cost :  those  subse- 
quently laid  appear  with  greater  purity. 

6* 


66  THE    REARING    AND 

nutritious  matter,  collects  it  in  her  crop,  a*nd  converts  it  into 
wholesome  food  for  Man.  After  a  while  her  own  turn  comes 
to  be  served;  the  pleasures  of  motherhood  must  be  accorded 
to  her.  Nature  has  been  sufficiently  tasked  in  one  direction; 
she  becomes  feverish,  loses  flesh,  her  comb  is  livid,  her  eye 
dull.  She  sees  in  her  heated  fancy  her  young  ones  crowding 
around  her,  bristles  her  feathers  to  intimidate  an  imaginary 
enemy,  and,  as  if  they  were  already  there,  she  utters  the 
maternal "  cluck" — "  chioccia" — "  glocientes" — "  clock-hens ;" 
"Sic  enim  apellant  rustici  aves  eas  quse  volunt  incubare." 

In  no  other  bird,  that  I  am  aware,  is  the  desire  of  incuba- 
tion thus  manifested.  I  am  very  much  inclined  to  attribute 
it  to  the  imagination  of  the  Fowl  anticipating  the  duties  that 
are  to  follow.  The  cry  is  exactly  the  same,  although  other 
various  tones  are  afterwards  made  use  of;  for  example,  the 
acute  voice  with  which  she  calls  her  chicks  to  partake  of  some 
dainty,  which  is  also  used  by  the  male  bird  to  assemble  his 
Hens  on  a  similar  occasion, — and  the  short  staccato  note  which 
gives  warning  of  danger  from  a  hawk,  or  a  strange  dog.  In- 
deed, the  language  of  Fowls,  though  inarticulate,  is  sufficiently 
fixed  and  determined  for  us  to  know  what  some  of  it  means. 
But  the  Hen  that  "clucks"  is  evidently  thinking  about  her 
future  young;  and  she  is  not  alone  in  indulging  such  dreams 
of  offspring.  A  caged  Virginian  Nightingale  has  been  re- 
corded to  go  through  the  pantomimic  actions  of  feeding  its 
brood  in  the  spring  (  Gard.  Mag.).  A  Bantam  Hen  was  barren, 
but  always  entered  the  nest  daily,  never  laying;  but  at  last 
became  broody,  was  supplied  with  eggs,  and  proved  an  excellent 
sitter  and  mother. 

When  the  determination  to  sit  becomes  fixed, — there  is  no 
need  to  indulge  the  first  faint  indications  immediately — let  her 
have  the  nest  she  has  selected  well  cleaned  and  filled  with 
fiesh  straw.  The  number  of  eggs  to  be  given  to  her  will 
depend  upon  the  season,  and  upon  their  and  her  own  size. 


MANAGEMENT    OF    FOWLS.  67 

The  wisest  plan  is  not  to  be  too  greedy.  The  number  of 
chickens  hatched  is  often  in  inverse  proportion  to  the  number 
of  eggs  set;  I  have  known  only  five  to  be  obtained  from  six- 
teen. Hens  will  in  general  well  cover  from  eleven  to  thirteen 
eggs  laid  by  themselves.  A  Bantam  may  be  trusted  with 
about  half-a-dozen  eggs  of  a  large  breed,  such  as  the  Spanish. 
A  Hen  of  the  largest  size,  as  a  Dorking,  will  successfully 
hatch  at  the  most  five  Goose's  eggs.  Iput  if  a  Hen  is  really 
determined  to  set,  it  is  useless  as  well  as  cruel  to  attempt  to 
divert  her  from  her  object.  The  means  usually  prescribed  are 
such  as  no  humane  person  would  willingly  put  in  practice. 
If  the  season  is  too  late  or  too  early  to  give  a  hope  of  rearing 
gallinaceous  birds,  the  eggs  of  Ducks  or  Geese  may  always  be 
had;  and  the  young  may  be  brought  up,  with  a  little  pains- 
taking, at  any  time  of  the  year.  And  if  it  be  required  to 
retain  the  services  of  a  Hen  for  expected  valuable  eggs,  she 
may  be  beguiled  for  a  week  or  ten  days  with  four  or  five  old 
addled  ones  till  the  choicer  sort  arrive. 

Three  weeks  is  the  period  of  incubation  of  the  common 
Hen.*  Sometimes  when  she  does  not  sit  close  for  the  first 
day  or  two,  or  in  early  spring,  it  will  be  some  hours  longer; 
more  rarely  in  this  climate,  when  the  Hen  is  assiduous  and 
the  weather  is  hot,  the  time  will  be  a  trifle  shorter.  The 
growth  of  the  chick  in  the  egg  has  been  so  fully  and  so  well 
described  by  many  writers,  from  Aristotle  down  to  Reaumur, 
that  I  need  merely  refer  the  reader  to  them.  The  observa- 
tions of  the  latter  particularly  have  appeared  in  almost  every 
compilation  that  has  been  published  on  the  subject;  and  I 
must  think  it  better  taste  for  common  inquirers  to  betake 
themselves  to  such  sources  of  information,  illustrated  as  they 

*  I  have,  in  -warm  weather,  had  chicks  at  the  end  of  the  18th  day; 
and  a  friend  E.  R.  C.  assures  me  that  he  had  some  to  come  out  on 
the  27th  day.— ED. 


68  THE    BEARING    AND 

are  by  good  engravings,  than  to  desire  that  a  set  of  half-hatched 
eggs  should  be  broken  to  gratify  their  curiosity.  A  shattered 
and  imperfectly  formed  chick,  struggling  in  vain  in  the  fluid 
that  ought  to  perfect  its  frame,  till  it  sinks  in  a  gradual  and 
convulsive  death,  is  a  horrible  spectacle,  though  on  a  small  scale. 

"The  shell  of  all  Eggs,  when  newly  laid,  is  nearly  half  as 
thick  again  as  it  is  when  the  young  bird  has  to  penetrate  it. 
Otherwise,  especially  in  the  case  of  some  thick-shelled  Eggs, 
those  of  the  Guinea- Fowl  for  instance,  the  tender  little  creatures 
would  be  scarcely  equal  to  the  task.  As  to  what  becomes  of 
the  other  part  of  the  shell,  there  is  an  ingenious  theory  by 
Knapp.  l  The  shell  of  the  egg  appears  to  be  designed  for  the 
accomplishment  of  two  purposes.  One  of  the  offices  of  this 
calcareous  coating,  which  consists  of  carbonate  and  phosphate 
of  lime,  is  to  unite  with  the  white  of  the  Egg,  and  form,  during 
incubation,  the  feathers  and  bone  of  the  future  young  onej 
but  as  a  large  portion  of  this  covering  remains  after  the  young 
are  produced,  its  other  object  is  to  guard  from  injury  the  partg 
within  I'"—//;  H. 

Shortly  before  the  time  of  hatching  arrives,  the  chickens 
may  be  heard  to  chirp  and  tap  against  the  wails  of  their  shell. 
Soon  a  slight  fracture  is  perceived  towards  the  upper  end, 
caused  by  force  from  within.  The  fracture  is  continued  around 
the  top  of  the  egg,*  which  then  opens  like  a  lid,  and  the  little 
bird  struggles  into  daylight.  The  tapping  -which  is  heard, 
and  which  opens  the  prison  doors,  is  caused  by  the  bill  of  the 
included  chick :  the  mother  has  nothing  to  do  with  its  libera- 
tion, beyond  casting  the  empty  shells  out  of  the  nest.  At  the 
tip  of  the  bill  of  every  new-hatched  chick,  on  the  upper  surface, 
a  whitish  scale  will  be  observed,  about  the  size  of  a  pin's  head, 
but  much  harder  than  the  bill  itself.  Had  the  beak  been 


*  I  have  known  the  fracture  occasionally  to  be  towards  the  email 
end ;  in  each  cases  the  chick  may  require  assistance. — ED. 


MANAGEMENT    OF    FOWLS.  69 

tipped  with  iron  to  force  the  shell  open,  it  would  not  have 
been  a  stronger  proof  of  creative  design  than  is  this  minute 
speck,  which  tots  is  so  necessary  an  instrument  In  a  few 
days  after  birth,  when  it  is  no  longer  wanted,  it  has  disap> 
peared ;  not  by  falling  off,  I  believe,  which  would  be  a  waste 
of  valuable  material,  but  by  bein&  absorbed  and  becoming 
serviceable  in  strengthening  the  bony  structure,  minute  as  the 
portion  of  earthy  substance  is.  And  yet  some  people  direct, 
that  as  soon  as  the  chick  is  hatched,  this  scale  should  be  forced 
off  with  the  finger  nail,  because  it  is  injurious ! 

All  chicks  do  not  get  out  so  easily,  but  may  require  a  little 
assistance.  The  difficulty  is,  to  know  when  to  give  it.  They 
often  succeed  in  making  the  first  breach,  but  appear  unable  to 
batter  down  their  dungeon  walls  any  further.  A  rash  attempt 
to  help  them  by  breaking  the  shell,  particularly  in  a  downward 
direction  towards  the  smaller  end,  is  often  followed  by  a  loss 
of  blood,  which  can  ill  be  spared.  It  is  better  to  wait  a  while* 
and  not  interfere  with  any  of  them,  till  it  is  apparent  that  a 
part  of  the  brood  have  been  hatched  some  time,  say  twelve 
hours,  and  that  the  rest  cannot  succeed  in  making  their  ap- 
pearance. After  such  wise  delay,  it  will  generally  be  found 
that  the  whole  fluid  contents  of  the  egg,  yolk  and  all,  are  taken 
up  into  the  body  of  the  chick,  and  that  weakness  alone  has 
prevented  its  forcing  itself  out  Ti»  MUM  7  of  such  weakness 
are  various;  sometimes  insufficient  warmth,  from  the  Hen 
having  sat  0*  too  many  eggs  j  sometimes  the  original  feeble- 
ness of  the  vital  spark  included  in  the  egg,  but  most  frequently 
staleness  of  the  eggs  employed  for  incubation.  The  chances 


*  On  finding  an  egg  to  be  cracked,  and  no  progress  made  during  the 
gpaoe  of  six  hours,  I  hare  ventured  with  the  point  of  my  knife  la 
render  a  little  gentle  assistance,  but  o*  seeing  any  trace  of  Wood,  I 
instantly  desist,  and  return  the  egg  to  the  nest  Such  egg  must, 
however,  be  watched  as  assistance  finally  may  be  necessary. 


70  THE    REARING     AND 

of  rearing  such  chicks  are  small,  but  if  they  get  over  the  first 
twenty-four  hours  they  may  be  considered  as  safe.  But  all 
the  old  wives'  nostrums  to  recover  them  are  to  be  discarded : 
the  merest  drop  of  ale  may  be  a  useful  stimulant,  but  an  in- 
toxicated chick  is  as  liable  to  sprawl  about  and  have  the  breath 
trodden  out  of  its  body  as  a  fainting  one.  Pepper-corns,  gin, 
rue,  and  fifty  other  ways  of  doctoring,  are  to  be  banished  afar, 
together  with  their  subjects,  namely, 

"All  the  unaccomplished  works  of  Nature's  hand, 
Abortive,  monstrous,  or  unkindly  mixed, 
Embryos,  and  idiots,  eremites,  and  friars, 
Into  a  Limbo  large  and  broad,  since  called 
The  Paradise  of  Fools,  to  few  unknown" 

The  only  thing  to  be  done,  is  to  take  them  from  the  Hen 
till  she  is  settled  at  night,  keeping  them  in  the  meanwhile  as 
snug  and  warm  as  possible.  If  a  clever,  kind,  gentlehanded 
little  girl  could  get  a  crumb  of  bread  down  their  throats,  it 
would  do  no  harm ;  but  all  rough,  violent,  clumsy  manipula- 
tion is  as  bad  as  the  throat-tickling  of  the  hard-fingered  hang- 
man. Animal  heat  will  be  their  greatest  restorative.  At 
night  let  them  be  quietly  slipped  under  their  mother;  the 
next  morning  they  will  be  either  as  brisk  as  the  rest,  or  as  flat 
as  pancakes  and  dried  biffins. 

Those  who  have  ever  undertaken  the  amusing  task  of  tending 
a  brood  of  chickens  from  the  shell,  must  have  observed  the 
great  change  of  apparent  size  which  the  first  few  hours  pro- 
duce. At  the  time  when  I  had  an  affectionate  assistant  in 
such  matters,  we  used  often  to  remark,  how  impossible  it 
would  be  to  re-pack  again  in  the  same  shell  the  creature  which 
was  contained  in  it  only  a  little  while  ago.  We  certainly 
never  tried  the  experiment,  but  the  eye  could  measure  with 
some  degree  of  accuracy,  besides  allowing  for  the  elastic  coat 
of  down  which  before  had  been  flattened  by  moisture.  How 
could  the  vivacious  little  wretch  have  made  such  a  sudden 


MANAGEMENT     OF     FOWLS.  71 

start?  Not  from  what  it  had  eaten  or  drunk,  certainly.  The 
solution  appears  to  lie  in  the  fact  which  the  best  comparative 
anatomists  have  recorded,  that  the  bodies  of  most  birds  are 
injected  with  air  to  a  considerable  extent.  While  the  embryo 
remains  in  the  shell,  its  vascular  parts  are  compressed,  or 
contain  merely  fluid  for  future  nourishment,  but  as  soon  as 
the  lungs  come  fairly  into  play,  air  is  made  to  inflate  many 
an  unsuspected  cavity,  even,  perhaps,  to  the  tip  of  every  fila- 
ment of  down.  Chamaolion-like,  the  chick  makes  a  good  meal 
on  the  atmosphere.  A  case  in  point  may  be  seen  when  the 
shell  of  a  chrysalis  is  disrupted  by  the  emerging  butterfly; 
and  the  process  is  so  absolutely  magical,  that  those  who  have 
never  witnessed  it  will  be  amply  repaid  for  their  trouble,  if 
they  collect  a  few  chrysalides  (those  of  the  gooseberry-moth,  for 
instance)  out  of  their  garden,  and  keep  them  under  a  tumbler 
in  their  dressing-room,  or  on  their  side-board  or  writing-table, 
or  wherever  they  are  most  likely  to  secure  the  chance  of  being 
in  at  the  birth.  The  black,  hairy,  quick-running  caterpillar, 
which  is  so  common,  may  be  secured,  fed  upon  common 
groundsel,  and  will  speedily  be  metamorphosed  into  a  hand- 
some tiger-moth.  Ten  minutes  after  it  has  burst  its  shelly 
covering, —  :  £"•'• 

"  Not  all  the  Queen's  horses,  and  all  the  Queen's  men, 
Could  get  tiger-moth  into  his  shell  again." 

It  creeps  out  with  a  little  moisture  adhering  to  it,  the  wings 
appear  merely  rudimental,  soon  it  is  seized  with  a  shivering 
fit,  it  grows  larger  with  every  successive  attack  of  tremulous- 
ness,  the  wings  may  be  seen  to  extend  as  a  curtain  is  let  down, 
the  moisture  is  absorbed  or  evaporated,  its  breathing-places  in 
its  sides  are  at  work,  it  is  thoroughly  injected  with  air,  and 
none  but  those  who  know  the  whole  truth  would  believe,  on 
seeing  the  narrow  case  by  the  side  of  the  expanded  insect, 
that  Euclid  had  been  practically  contradicted,  and  that  the 
greater  had  been  contained  within  the  less.  The  chicks  of 


72  THE    BEARING    AND 

Turkeys  and  Guinea  Fowls  exhibit  this  sudden  expansion  even 
more  strikingly  than  those  of  Cocks  and  Hens. 

But  what  are  we  to  do  with  the  new-come  chickens  ?  Let 
us  leave  them  quiet  with  their  mother  six  or  eight  hours,  or 
till  the  next  morning.  Now  is  the  time  to  listen  to  quackeries, 
and  fooleries,  and  heaps  of  babble  and  rubbish,  if  we  do  not 
choose  the  better  part  of  being  as  deaf  as  stones.  How  won- 
derful must  be  the  productive  energy  which  is  at  work  in  the 
universe,  to  replace  the  myriads  of  chickens  and  children  that 
have  been  laid  low  by  sage  nursing  !  Whole  pepper-corns, 
gin,  laudanum,  tight-swaddling,  cramming,  dips  into  cold 
water,  suffocation  with  foul  air,  make  us  wonder  that  either 
biped,  plumed  or  unplumed,  is  to  be  found  in  any  other  than 
a,  fossil  state. 

A  roomy,  boarded  coop,  in  a  dry  sunny  spot,  is  the  best 
position  for  them  during  the  first  month ;  after  which  it  may 
be  left  open  during  the  day  for  the  Hen  to  retire  to  when  she 
pleases.  In  quiet  grassy  places,  such  as  one  sees  on  the  skirts 
of  green  commons  and  by  the  sides  of  country  churchyards, 
the  Hen  need  scarcely  be  cooped  at  all.  As  to  food,  let  them  have 
every  thing  which  is  not  absolutely  poisonous.*  Sloppy  matters 
are  better  avoided  till  the  little  things  are  old  enough  to  eat  a 
few  grains  of  good  barley,  which  they  are  before  it  is  usually 
suspected ;  afterwards  they  do  no  harm.  A  little  wheat,  of 
the  best  sample,  will  then  not  be  thrown  away  upon  them. 
Meat  and  insect  diet  are  almost  necessary  \  but  raw  vegetables 
chopped  small,  so  grateful  to  young  Turkeys,  are  caviare  to 
chickens.  But  whatever  be  the  bill  of  fare,  the  meals  must 


*  If  wet  food  be  given,  the  chick  is  obliged  to  take  water,  whether 
it  require  it  or  not,  in  order  to  get  a  sufficient  supply  of  solid  food, 
and  diseased  bowels  will  be  likely  to  follow  ;  whereas,  if  the  food  be 
dry,  they  can  supply  themselves  with  food  and  water  according  to 
their  pleasure. — ED. 


MANAGEMENT    OF    FOWLS.  73 

be  given  at  short  intervals ;  as  much  as  they  can  swallow,  as 
often  as  they  can  eat.  The  reader  will  please  to  remember  that 
when  he  came  into  the  world,  all  that  was  expected  of  him  was 
to  grow  and  be  good-natured.  He  had  not  to  provide  his  long- 
clothes  out  of  his  mother's  milk,  nor  to  elaborate  pinafores 
from  a  basin  of  soaked  biscuit;  but  for  poor  little  chickens, 
the  only  known  baby-linen  warehouse  is  situated  in  their  own 
stomachs.  And  with  all  their  industry,  they  are  only  half- 
clad  till  flesh  and  bone  stop  growing  for  a  while,  and  allow 
down  and  feathers  to  overtake  them. 

The  period  at  which  they  are  left  to  shift  for  themselves 
depends  upon  the  disposition  of  the  Hen.  Some  will  continue 
their  attentions  to  their  chicks  till  they  are  nearly  full  grown, 
others  will  cast  them  off  much  earlier.  In  the  latter  case,  it 
may  be  as  well  to  keep  an  eye  upon  them  for  a  few  days  till 
they  have  established  themselves  as  independent  members  of 
the  gallinaceous  community.  For  chickens  in  this  half-grown 
state  are  at  the  most  critical  period  of  their  lives.  They  are 
now  much  more  liable  to  disease  than  when  they  were  appa- 
rently tender  little  weaklings  crowded  under  their  mother's 
wings.  It  is  just  before  arriving  at  this  point  of  growth,  that 
artificially  hatched  chickens  are  so  sure  to  fail,  whether  hot  air, 
hot  water,  or  sheepskin,  be  the  substitute  for  the  mother's 
care.  Mere  incubation  has  long  ago  been  performed  artificially 
with  success  in  various  ways.  Any  lady  or  gentleman,  at  any 
time  of  the  year,  can  effectually  complete  that  process  by 
means  of  a  spirit-lamp  and  a  sand-bath  in  their  study  or  bou- 
doir. The  mere  hatching  of  chickens  deserves  little  credit, 
however  ingeniously  it  is  done.  But  to  rear  them  on  a  great 
scale  is  the  difficulty  that  has  not  yet  been  surmounted  in  this 
country.  A  visit  to  the  purveyors  of  Poultry  for  the  Million 
is  not  repaid  by  the  sight  of  an  approach  to  the  fulfilment  of 
their  great  promises.  They  hatch,  but  they  cannot  rear,  and 


74  THE     REARING     AND 

are  not  likely  to  do  so.*  The  chicks  for  the  first  week  or  two 
look  well  enough,  and  it  is  not  to  be  expected  that  the  very 
first  seeds  of  disorder  should  be  apparent ;  but  no  farmer's 
wife  would  be  pleased  that  her  stock  had  the  look  of  those  that 
get  to  be  six  weeks  or  two  months  old.  Compare  the  tables 
of  mortality  amongst  infants  in  the  French  Foundling  Hospi- 
tals with  those  calculated  on  the  families  of  healthy  English 
cottagers,  and  the  contrast  will  be  a  guide  to  the  relative  me- 
rits of  the  natural  and  the  artificial  modes  of  rearing  Chickens, 
Turkeys,  and  Guinea-fowl.  And  what  becomes  of  the  Hens 
belonging  to  such  establishments  which  desire  to  sit,  but  are 
prevented  on  principle  from  doing  so,  on  eggs  at  least  ?  They 
are  just  put  up  to  fatten  as  soon  as  they  become  broody,  and 
after  a  certain  time  killed  to  be  eaten.  No  one  who  knew 
any  thing  about  Fowls  would  select  such  for  his  table  from 
choice.  It  cannot  be  expected  that  those  Professors,  who  are 
unable  to  raise  sufficient  chickens  for  the  supply  of  a  small 
neighbourhood,  should  be  able  to  communicate  the  art  of  afford- 
ing plenty  to  a  nation,  even  by  means  of  a  patented  apparatus 
and  an  expensive  license.  Were  all  the  chickens  reared  that 
are  hatched  by  Hens  alone,  poultry  would  be  much  more 
abundant  than  it  is  at  present.  The  artificial  hatching  of 
Ducks  and  Geese  is  a  more  promising  speculation  than  the 
same  attempt  upon  Fowls ;  but  if  it  were  entered  upon  to  any 

*  My  friend  H.  L.  Devereux,  Esq.,  of  Dedham,  Mass,  writes  me, 
"  My  experience  in  raising  Fowls  is,  that  the  young  chicks  are  as 
•well  off  without  a  Hen  as  with,  provided  you  give  them  a  dry,  ivarm 
place,  they  need  much  to  be  kept  dry.  I  have  this  season  raised 
about  a  dozen  fine  pullets  of  the  Forbes  Stock,  without  a  Hen,  which 
did  better  than  those  I  let  run  with  a  hen.  I  gave  them  to  eat, 
cracked  corn,  wet  with  water  or  milk,  curd,  broken  wheat,  bread, 
some  potatoes,  and,  in  fact,  they  will  eat  almost  any  thing  you  throw 
to  them." — ED. 


MANAGEMENT     OF     FOWLS.  75 

extent,  it  would  be  found  that  the  expenses  of  superintendence 
and  nursing  more  than  absorb  all  profit. 

The  artificial  hatching  described  by  Fortune  (  Wanderings., 
p.  78j,  as  successfully  carried  on  in  Chusan,  was  only  practised 
on  Ducks ;  and  the  season  when  he  saw  it  in  operation  was 
the  end  of  May,  a  time  of  year  when  there  would  be  little 
difficulty  in  rearing  Ducklings  so  produced  in  England,  if  time 
and  trouble  were  disregarded. 

As  to  fattening  fowls,  Mr.  Dixon  says,  the  old  Dutch  mode 
is  by  no  means  a  bad  one. 

"Cardan  is  the  authority,  that  if  you  mingle  fat  lizard  (?),* 
saltpetre,  and  cummin,  with  wheat  flour,  and  feed  Hens  on 
this  food,  they  will  get  so  fat,  and  the  people  who  eat  them 
will  grow  so  stout,  as  to  burst.  John  Jacob  "VVecker  records 
that  he  learnt  the  following  secret  of  fatting  Hens  from  a 
certain  Hollander.  'In  the  kitchen/  he  says,  'make  to  your- 
self a  box,  divided  into  many  little  boxes,  each  one  with  its 
own  opening,  through  which  the  Hens  can  thrust  their  heads 
out  of  doors,  and  take  their  food.  Therefore,  in  these  little 
boxes,  let  youthful  Hens  or  Pullets  be  incarcerated,  one  in  each : 
let  food  be  offered  every  hour,  drink  being  interdicted  for  the 
time.  But  let  the  food  be  wheat,  moderately  boiled.  The 
little  boxes  ought  to  be  pervious  below,  that  the  excrements 
may  pass  through,  and  be  diligently  removed  every  day.  But 
the  Hens  ought  not  to  be  shut  up  beyond  two  weeks;  lest 
they  should  die  from  too  much  fatness.  I  am  told,  also,  that 
among  some  people  they  get  gloriously  fat,  and  quickly,  if 
beer  is  offered  them  for  drink,  instead  of  water;  also,  that,  if 
they  are  fed  on  brewer's  grains,  they  lay  more,  as  well  as 
larger  Eggs.'  " — Aldrovandi. 


*  May  not  "lacerta"  in  the  original  text  be  a  misprint  or  slip  of 
the  pen  for  "lacerate?"  If  so,  "fat  lizard"  should  be  replaced  by 
torn  or  "shred  fat." 


76  THE     REARING     AND 

A  correspondent  of  the  Agricultural  Gazette,  thus  describes 
the  method  which  he  successfully  practised  for  many  years  in 
India: — "The  fowl-house,  or  rather  feeding-house,  for  only 
fattening  Fowls  were  permitted  to  be  in  it,  was  kept  as  cool 
as  possible,  (in  Bengal,  remember,)  and  almost  dark.  Each 
Fowl  had  a  separate  pen;  they  were  fed  once,  and  only  once 
a-day,  with  rice,  boiled  as  rice  ought  to  be  for  Christians :  not 
to  a  mash;  but  so  that  grain  from  grain  should  separate. 
The  quantity  to  each  Fowl  was  about  two  ounces  (before 
boiling).  For  the  fir&t  three  days  to  each  was  given  about  a 
tea-spoonful  of  'ghopr/  a  coarse  sugar — about  half  as  much 
again  of  treacle  would  be  an  equivalent.  This  commencing 
with  sugar  was  held  to  be  very  important;  it  cleansed  the 
birds  and  disposed  them  to  fatten;  no  water  was  given; 
neither  was  any  chalk  or  gravel,  both  being  unknown  in  the 
country.  In  about  three  weeks  the  Fowls  were  generally  fat. 
I  never,  in  England,  have  seen  finer  than  those  I  have  killed 
within  that  time,  not  even  at  Mr.  Davis' s  of  Leadenhall  Market. 
If  they  did  not  fatten  in  three  weeks,  we  supposed  that  they 
did  not  mean  to  fatten,  but  this  was  a  rare  occurrence,  and 
proceeded,  no  doubt,  from  some  ailment  beyond  my  power  of 
discovering;  but,  fat  or  otherwise,  they  were  never  tough. 
To  boil  the  rice  in  buttermilk  is  by  far  preferable  to  boiling 
it  in  water;  let  the  Fowls  be  as  young  as  you  can,  if  of  full 
growth.  Many  people  run  away  with  an  impression  that 
Fowls  fed  on  rice  will  go  blind ;  it  is  dirt  and  sourness  that 
cause  it.  How  often  do  we  see  a  trough  loaded  with  meal 
food,  sufficient  for  two  or  three  days,  placed  before  the  un- 
happy prisoner  in  the  pen,  who  cannot  escape  from  it,  or  seek 
other  and  sweeter  food !  When  the  Fowls  have  done  feeding, 
the  trough  should  be  removed,  cleaned,  and  exposed  to  the 
air  until  the  next  day's  feeding  time.  At  my  factory,  in 
India,  the  troughs  were  every  afternoon  thrown  into  a  pond; 
there  they  remained  until  next  morning,  when;  after  an  hour 


MANAGEMENT     OF     FOWLS.  77 

or  two's  sunning,  they  were  returned  to  the  coops :  no  blind- 
ness was  known  there." 

We  may  observe  that  a  temperature  which  feels  cool  in 
Bengal,  would  be  thought  warm  here;  and  that,  in  this 
country  of  rapid  digestion,  a  single  meal  a  day  is  insufficient 
to  fatten  Fowls.  It  is  a  great  point  to  keep  them  without 
food  the  first  twenty-four  hours  they  are  shut  up,  allowing 
them  to  have  drink  only.  If  food  be  offered  to  them  as  soon 
as  they  are  deprived  of  liberty,  they  will  sulk  and  refuse  it, 
and,  perhaps,  be  several  days  before  they  feed  heartily;  but, 
if  they  be  starved  till  they  feel  a  craving  appetite,  hunger  will 
overcome  their  sullenness,  and  they  will  afterwards  greedily 
devour  their  allowance. 

The  oldest  and  toughest  Fowls  may  be  made  into  a  savoury 
and  nutritious  dish  by  the  following  method,  which  is  given 
as  a  tried  and  warranted  recipe,  because  such  birds  are  so  often 
pronounced  uneatable,  thrown  away,  and  wasted. 

When  the  Fowl  is  plucked  and  drawn,  joint  it  as  for  a  pie. 
Do  not  skin  it.  Stew  it  five  hours  in  a  close  sauce-pan,  with 
salt,  mace,  onions,  or  any  other  flavouring  ingredients  that 
may  be  approved :  a  clove  of  garlic  may  be  added  where  it  is 
not  utterly  disliked.  When  tender,  turn  it  out  into  a  deep 
dish  so  that  the  meat  may  be  entirely  covered  with  the  liquor. 
Let  it  stand  thus  in  its  own  jelly  for  a  day  or  two  (this  is  the 
grand  secret) ;  it  may  then  be  served  in  the  shape  of  a  curry, 
a  hash,  or  a  pie,  and  will  be  found  little  inferior  to  pheasant 
under  similar  circumstances. 

The  cookery  of  the  middle  ages  abounded  in  practical  jokes. 
Here  is  a  very  witty  one  with  a  Chicken.  "If  you  wish  a 
Chicken  to  jump  in  the  dish,  take/'  says  Albertus  Magnus, 
"  quicksilver,  and  powder  of  calaminth,  and  pour  them  into  a 
glass  bottle,  seal  it,  and  put  it  inside  the  hot  Chicken :  for  as 
the  quicksilver  gets  warm,  it  moves  itself,  and  will  make  the 
chicken  jump."  The  brilliancy  of  this  trick  is  only  to  be 

7* 


78  THE     REARING     AND 

rivalled  by  the  epigrammatic  point  of  the  question,  "  Did  you 
ever  see  a  bun  dance  on  a  table  ?" 

A  specimen  or  two  may  be  given  of  the  savoury  messes  in 
which  our  great  grand-fathers  delighted. 

"  The  other  delicious  Broths;  which  none  but  the  Rich  can 
afford,  are,  the  Bisk*  of  Pigeons;  the  Pottage  of  health; 
Partridge  Brotli  with  Coleworts,  &c.  &c.,  and  the  Pottage  of 
Fowls  with  green  Pease.  We  put  the  Fowls  to  boil  with 
Broth,  and  skim  them  well;  then  pass  the  green  Pease  through 
a  Frying-pan,  with  Butter,  or  melted  Bacon;  and  afterwards 
have  them  stew'd  apart,  with  Lettices;  and  when  the  Fowls 
are  done,  we  mix  the  Broth  and  Pease  together,  and  send  it 
to  the  Table. 

"  Chickens  are  roasted  either  larded,  or  barded,  i.  e.}  covered 
before  and  behind,  with  a  thin  slice  of  Bacon,  and  wrapped 
in  Vine-leaves,  in  their  Season. 

"Fowls  ^IQ  pickled  with  Vinegar,  Salt,  Pepper,  and  Lemon- 
peel,  and  are  left  in  their  Pickle  till  they  be  wanted;  when 
wanted,  they  are  taken  out,  put  to  drain,  and  after  they  have 
been  fried  in  Butter,  they  are  put  to  stew  for  a  few  Minutes, 
in  some  of  the  Pickle,  and  then  carried  to  Table." — Dennis 
de  Ccetlogon. 

Fowls  for  cooking  that  are  required  to  be  sent  to  a  distance, 
or  to  be  kept  any  time  before  being  served,  are  plucked,  drawn, 
and  dressed  immediately  that  they  are  killed.  The  feathers 
strip  off  much  more  easily  and  cleanly  while  the  bird  is  yet 
warm.  On  special  occasions,  such  as  Michaelmas,  for  Geese, 
and  Christmas,  for  all  sorts  of  Poultry,  when  large  numbers 
have  to  be  slaughtered  and  prepared  in  a  short  time,  the  pro- 
cess is  expedited  by  scalding  the  bird  in  boiling  water,  when 
the  feathers  drop  off  almost  all  at  once.  But  Fowls  thus  treated 
are  generally  thought  inferior  in  flavour,  and  are  certainly 

*  Derived  from  biscuits,  twice  cooked. 


MANAGEMENT     OP     FOWLS.  79 

more  likely  to  acquire  a  taint  in  close  warm  weather,  than 
8uck  as  are  plucked  and  trussed  dry.  The  Norfolk  poulterers, 
especially  those  in  the  neighbourhoods  of  Norwich  and  Great 
Yarmouth,  may,  in  this  art,  challenge  the  whole  world  for 
skill  and  neatness.  All  bruises  or  rupturing  of  the  skin  should 
be  avoided.  A  coarse  half-worn  cloth,  that  is  pervious  to  the 
air,  like  a  wire  safe,  and  perfectly  dry  and  clean,  forms  the 
best  wrapper.  The  colour  of  yellow-skinned  Turkeys,  which, 
however,  are  equally  well  flavoured,  is  improved  for  appearance 
at  market  by  wrapping  them  twelve  or  twenty-four  hours  in 
cloths  soaked  in  cold  salt  and  water,  frequently  changed.  For 
the  same  purpose  the  loose  fat  is  laid  first  in  warm  salt  and 
water,  afterwards  in  milk  and  water  for  two  or  three  hours. 
The  Essex  mode  is  to  dust  with  flour,  both  inside  and  out, 
any  fowls  that  have  to  travel  far,  or  hang  many  days  in  the 
larder. 

To  those  who  desire  to  keep  only  a  few  Fowls  for  the  sake 
of  fresh  eggs,  etc.  etc.,  and  who  are  quite  limited  as  to  space, 
the  following  remarks  of  one  of  Mr.  Dixon's  correspondents, 
will  prove  interesting.  He  says — "  There  is  one  thing  I 
think  necessary  to  impress  upon  those  who  keep  Fowls  in  a 
confined  place,  which  is  cleanliness.  The  droppings  in  their 
roosting  place  should  be  taken  up  every  morning,  and  a  hand- 
ful of  dry  ashes  strewed  under  their  perches.  I  have  only  a 
confined  yard  in  which  to  keep  my  Fowls.  The  plan  I  adopt 
is  to  give  them  every  day  plenty  of  fresh  cabbage  leaves,  and 
once  or  twice  a  week  I  have  some  onions  chopped  up  for  them, 
of  which,  after  a  time,  they  become  very  fond.  I  let  them 
have  a  plentiful  supply  of  burnt  oyster  shells.  I  put  the 
shells  into  the  fire  until  they  are  red  hot,  and  well  burnt.  I 
then  break  them  into  small  pieces  with  the  fingers,  but  not 
into  powder.  I  am  satisfied  that  this  is  much  better  for  them 
than  crude  lime  ;  they  eat  great  quantities  of  it.  Their  other 
food  consists  of  the  best  barley  and  oats,  and  to  compensate 


80  THE    REARING    AND 

for  the  want  of  insects,  I  occasionally  give  them  a  little  raw 
meat.  By  adopting  this  plan  I  keep  them  in  decent  health. 
The  only  thing  they  appear  to  want  is  more  exercise,  which,  I 
think,  is  the  reason  I  cannot  rear  chickens  well,  for  with  all 
my  attention  I  find  they  are  stunted  in  their  growth,  no  doubt 
from  the  want  of  a  sufficient  run."  I  can  only  say  that  a 
Cockerel  which  this  gentleman  did  me  the  favour  to  send  me, 
showed  no  symptoms  of  stunted  growth.  He  was  a  magnificent 
black  Spanish  fellow,  with  all  the  distinctive  marks  of  the  breed 
highly  developed.  He  has  since  vanished,  and  is  now  doubt- 
less the  pride  of  the  thief  or  the  receiver,  in  some  sequestered 
dingy  back  lane.  What  a  contrast  such  a  situation  for  Fowls 
is,  to  that  described  by  another  correspondent.  "  I  wish  you 
could  see  my  poultry-yard,  which  is  in  fkct  no  yard,  being  part 
of  our  park,  where  I  always  have  the  young  broods,  and  as 
some  of  it  is  now  a  hay-field,  it  is  a  nice  place  for  them  to  run 
about  in."— H.  H. 

It  has  been  suggested  that  none  of  the  writers  on  Poultry 
have  dwelt  sufficiently  upon  the  profit  and  convenience  of  those 
who  keep  a  few  Fowls  for  the  sake  of  their  eggs,  having  ever- 
lasting layers,  with  perhaps  one  or  two  sitting  Hens  to  enable 
them  to  keep  up  their  stock.  If  the  sitting  Hens  were  such 
as  lay  broicn  eggs,  and  the  others  white  ones,  it  would  save 
trouble.  This  arrangement  could  easily  be  carried  out  by  se- 
lecting one  or  two  Game  or  Cochin  China  Hens  that  lay  dark 
eggs,  and  are  all  excellent  incubators,  and  having  the  laying 
Hens  Black  Spanish,  or  Silver  Hamburg,  or  the  Andalusian 
variety,  imported  by  Mr.  Barber. 

Another  plan,  quite  feasible,  is  to  keep  no  Hens'  whatever 
except  those  which  lay  everlastingly,  and  to  make  hen  Turkeys 
perform  the  duty  of  incubating  for  all  parties. 

The  following  hint  may  be  useful  to  those  who  are  not  pro- 
vided with  a  stud  of  everlasting  layers : — "  Amongst  all  the 
remedies  I  have  seen  recommended  for  diseases  in  Poultry,  I 


MANAGEMENT     OF     FOWLS.  81 

have  never  seen  Jalap  mentioned,  and  I  have  ever  found  it 
most  efficacious  ;  indeed,  for  many  years  I  have  never  used 
any  other  :  as  it  appears  to  me  to  be  the  natural  medicine 
for  Fowls.  It  is  astonishing  how  soon  it  sets  them  up.  In 
the  country,  where  they  have  a  good  run,  they  may  not  require 
so  much  physic ;  but  even  there  I  should  imagine  it  would  be 
occasionally  useful :  as,  for  instance,  when  they  have  had  the 
incubating  fever  on  them  late  in  the  season,  and  I  have  not 
wanted  them  to  sit,  one  or  two  doses  have  relieved  them  from 
it  entirely.  In  short,  with  me,  it  is  a  regular  ( Morrison's 
PilP  for  Fowls ;  as  it  seems  to  cure  all  their  complaints.  The 
dose  for  a  full-sized  Fowl  is  15  or  16  grains.  I  moisten  a 
small  piece  of  crumb  of  bread  about  the  size  of  a  hazel  nut, 
and  mix  the  powdered  jalap  with  it." 

An  inquiry  has  been  made  whether  common  salt  would  not 
be  a  good  thing  to  promote  laying  in  Hens  that  were  necessarily 
kept  in  close  confinement.  But  among  the  most  experienced 
practical  rearers  of  Poultry  there  is  an  old,  and  I  believe  well- 
founded  prejudice  against  their  eating  salted  food,  even  in 
very  small  quantities.  I  have  seen  in  some  books  Glauber's 
salts  recommended,  but  should  be  sorry  to  try  them,  except  as 
an  experiment  on  a  lot  of  worthless  or  diseased  Fowls.  Galli- 
naceous birds  reared  by  the  sea-side  or  on  the  banks  of  a  salt- 
water river,  avoid  the  saline  stream,  and  search  for  food  and 
drink  as  far  inland  as  they  can  range.  I  know  not  either  how 
common  salt  could  be  administered  to  them.  It  is  more  than 
doubtful  whether  the  Hens  would  pick  it  from  the  ground  in 
its  crystalline  form,  and  it  would  be  difficult  to  distribute  it  in 
equal  doses  by  means  of  bread,  &c.,  soaked  in  salt  water  :  the 
chances  are  that  some  of  the  Hens  would  be  poisoned.  Pi- 
geons, I  think,  are  the  only  domesticated  birds  to  whose  health 
salt  is  beneficial,  and  they  prefer  it  in  combination  with  ani- 
malised  matters;  the  more  offensive  it  is  to  our  senses,  the 
more  agreeable  it  appears  to  be  to  theirs, 


82  THE     REARING    AND 

"  I  was  told  the  other  day  of  a  gentleman  at  Highgate,  who, 
knowing  that  salt  was  beneficial  to  Pigeons,  gave  some  to  his 
Hens,  in  consequence  of  which  they  all  died.  I  have  found  a 
little  hemp-seed  efficacious  for  making  them  lay,  and  a  little 
good  ale)  I  give  themx  all  that  is  left  at  table)  will  have  that 
effect — not  bread  soaked  in  ale  ;  for  it  is  a  golden  rule  to  know 
that  all  moist  food  is  injurious  to  Fowls,  unless  they  are  in- 
tended shortly  for  the  table.  All  cooked  vegetables,  except 
potatoes,  I  have  found  bad  for  them/' — L.  J3. 

An  abundant  supply  of  lime  in  some  form  should  not  be 
omitted ;  either  chopped  bones,  old  mortar,  or  a  lump  of  chalky 
marl.  The  shell  of  every  egg  used  in  the  house  should  be 
roughly  crushed  and  thrown  down  to  the  Hens,  which  will 
greedily  eat  them.  A  green  living  turf,  like  those  given  to 
larks,  only  larger,  will  be  of  service,  both  for  its  grass,  and 
the  insects  it  may  contain.  A  dusting-place,  wherein  to  get 
rid  of  vermin  is  indispensable.  A  daily  hot  meal  of  potatoes, 
boiled  as  carefully  as  for  the  family  table,  then  chopped  and 
sprinkled  or  mixed  with  pollard,  will  be  comfortable  and  stim- 
ulating. The  French  plan,  namely  bread  soaked  in  hot  vin 
ordinaire,  beer,  or  cider,  appears  from  experience  to  be  better 
suited  to  fattening  than  to  laying  Fowls.  After  every  meal  of 
the  household,  the  bones  and  all  other  scraps  should  be  col- 
lected and  thrown  out.  Hens  are  great  pickers  of  bones ;  I 
have  seen  a  Hen  devouring  the  flesh  and  cleaning  the  skeleton 
of  her  dead  husband,  doubtless  on  the  native  Australian  prin- 
ciple of  respect  and  affection  for  the  deceased. 

It  is  a  singular  fact,  that  pullets  hatched  very  late  in  Autumn, 
and  therefore  of  stunted  growth,  will  lay  nearly  as  early  as 
those  hatched  in  spring.  The  checking  of  their  growth  seems 
to  have  a  tendency  to  produce  eggs;  of  course  very  tiny  ones 
at  first. 

Fowls  that  are  kept  in  close  confinement  will  greatly  miss 
the  opportunity  of  basking  in  the  sun :  warmth  is  almost  as 


MANAGEMENT     OF     FOWLS.  83 

necessary  for  thriftiness  as  food.  Even  in  Italy,  it  was  recom- 
mended by  Columella  that  "Fowl-houses  ought  to  be  placed 
in  that  part  of  the  farm  which  faces  the  rising  sun  in  winter : 
let  them  be  joined  to  the  oven  or  the  kitchen,  so  that  the  smoke 
may  reach  the  birds,  it  being  particularly  healthy  for  them." 
Modern  amateurs  have  thought  it  would  be  a  good  plan  to 
have  an  Arnott  or  Dean  stove  erected  in  their  fowl-house, 
which  could  be  lighted  an  hour  before  the  Cocks  and  Hens 
went  to  roost.  Sharp  weather  is  always  a  sufficient  excuse 
for  the  unproductiveness  of  Hens;  but  it  may  be  suggested 
that  there  are  cases  in  which  Fowls  do  lay,  without  their 
owners  being  much  the  better  for  the  eggs.  This,  however, 
is  less  likely  to  happen  in  an  aviary,  if  I  may  be  allowed  so 
to  term  it,  than  in  the  farm,  or  the  unenclosed  poultry-yard. 
It  is  an  unfortunate  fact,  that  in  the  country,  where  Fowls  are 
allowed  unlimited  range,  choice  specimens  are  remarkably  apt 
to  disappear;  and  if  they  do  not,  their  eggs  do.  The  proprietor 
is  sure  of  just  as  many  of  the  select  kinds  as  he  can  himself 
lay  hands  upon.  He  may  often  have  the  satisfaction  of  buy- 
ing in  a  neighbouring  village  a  fine  brood  of  chickens,  hatched 
from  eggs  purloined  from  himself,  and  be  thus  considerately 
saved  all  trouble  of  rearing  them.  These  agreeable  tricks  are 
played  by  a  set  of  rascally  half-poaching  pilferers,  who  are 
connected  with  the  lowest  class  of  dealers.  If  any  fear  of 
detection  arises,  the  "fancy"  birds  are  immediately  forwarded 
to  the  metropolis,  or  some  other  large  town  at  a  distance. 

The  curiosities  and  absurdities  of  the  literature  of  poultry- 
breeding  are  inexhaustible.  One  "  Ornithologus"  states,  on 
the  report  of  his  people,  that,  in  order  to  obtain  all  female 
chicks  from  a  setting  of  eggs,  it  is  only  necessary  to  set  the 
Hen  while  the  moon  is  in  the  full,  and  to  prefer  such  eggs 
for  the  purpose  as  have  been  laid  when  the  moon  was  at  the 
full,"  and  also  to  contrive  that  they  be  hatched  at '  the  full 
moon;  but  Aldrovandi,  who  quotes  him,  remarks,  that  it 


84  THE     REARING     AND 

would  be  difficult  to  combine  all  these  conditions,  seeing  that 
chickens  are  hatched  in  three  weeks,  and  that  there  are  four 
weeks  from  one  full  moon  to  another. 

The  same  Ornithologus  testifies  to  having  read  in  a  certain 
German  manuscript,  that  if  eggs  are  stained  with  any  colour, 
chickens  of  the  same  hue  will  be  produced.  Others  direct 
that  the  aviaries  in  which  they  are  bred  should  be  covered,  in 
every  part,  with  white  hangings;  with  what  view  is  not  appa- 
rent. But  whoever  wishes  to  have  most  beautiful  chickens, 
"visu  jucundissimos,"  must  pair  his  Hen  with  a  Cock  Wood 
Pigeon,  or  Partridge,  or  Pheasant.  Directions,  too,  are  given 
from  Aristotle,  for  obtaining  chickens  with  four  wings  and 
four  feet. 

It  is  not  our  intention  to  enter  minutely  into  the  physicking 
and  doctoring  of  Fowls.  One  or  two  authentic  cases  will  be 
more  instructive  than  a  score  of  prescriptions.  The  epidemic 
diseases  to  which  they  are  subject  are  more  easily  warded  off 
by  prophylactic  than  remedial  measures.  In  bad  cases,  either 
of  roup  or  gapes,  it  is,  nine  times  out  of  ten,  more  humane,  as 
well  as  cheaper,  to  knock  the  poor  little  sufferer  on  the  head 
at  once,  than  to  let  it  linger  on  to  almost  certain  death.  It 
is  natural  to  try  to  do  all  we  can,  either  for  an  old  favourite, 
or  for  a  valuable  specimen;  but  even  when  we  succeed  in 
restoring  the  patient,  it  is  usually  only  a  temporary  recovery; 
and  it  cannot  be  wise  to  keep  such  valetudinarians  to  become 
the  parents  of  future  broods. 

"When  I  came  home  the  other  day  from  the  country,  I 
found  one  of  my  favourite  Hens,  which  had  lost  nearly  all  its 
feathers,  (being  in  full  moult,)  in  a  sad  way.  It  appeared  as 
if  it  had  got  a  wry  neck,  and  was  tipsy,  as  it  kept  falling  down, 
and  neither  the  Cock  nor  any  of  the  other  Hens  would  go  near 
it.  I  examined  it,  and  found  there  was  nothing  in  its  crop, 
and  it  was  very  thin.  I  immediately  gave  it  one  grain  of 
calomel  in  a  small  bread-pill,  and  three  or  four  hours  after- 


MANAGEMENT     OF     FOWLS.  85 

wards  I  gave  it  fifteen  grains  of  jalap,  and,  as  it  was  evidently 
better  the  next  day,  I  repeated  the  jalap  pill  for  four  successive 
nights,  and  it  now  appears  quite  well  and  feeds  heartily. 
After  the  first  dose  of  jalap  its  droppings  were  green  and 
highly  offensive.  I  mention  all  this,  as  I  have  never  seen  a 
Fowl  similarly  affected."— L.  B. 

The  roup  is  an  affection  of  the  head,  from  which  birds  that 
are  really  attacked  seldom  recover,  and  when  recovered,  are 
still  more  rarely  strong  afterwards.  It  is  the  "pituita"  of  the 
Roman  writers,  which  they  characterize  as  "infestissima," 
most  hostile  to  Poultry.  A  copious  and  offensive  discharge 
flows  from  the  nostrils,  in  bad  cases  from  the  eyes  also;  indeed, 
the  whole  head  occasionally  seems  to  suppurate.  The  creature 
is  stupified  by  suffering,  and  blinded  also  by  the  disorder. 
All  that  can  be  done  is  to  keep  it  in  a  warm  dry  place,  to  wash 
the  head  frequently  with  warm  vinegar  and  water,  to  cram  the 
bird  with  nourishing  food  when  it  cannot  see  to  eat,  and  to 
protect  it  from  the  cruelties  of  other  Fowls.  A  solution  of 
sulphate  of  zinc,  as  an  eye-water,  is  a  valuable  cleansing  appli- 
cation. Rue  pills,  and  decoction  of  rue,  as  a  tonic,  have  been 
administered  with  apparent  benefit.  Cleanliness,  warmth, 
dry  ness,  and  good  feeding,  will,  in  a  measure,  keep  off  the 
evil,  but  we  cannot  expect  entirely  to  eradicate  it  from  a  race 
of  creatures  so  far  removed  from  their  native  country  as  our 
Cocks  and  Hens  are.  Fowls  are  seldom  affected  by  the  roup 
before  they  are  at  least  three  quarters  grown. 

We  now  produce  one  or  two  surgical  cases. 

"Perhaps  it  may  not  be  generally  known  that  Fowls  are 
injured  by  eating  hops.  I  mean  the  hops  that  have  been  used 
in  brewing  and  thrown  aside.  I  had  a  Cock  of  a  valuable 
breed  that  appeared  ill  one  morning,  moping,  and  scarcely 
eating  any  food  at  all.  We  tried  all  the  usual  remedies  with- 
out effect,  when  it  occurred  to  me  that  the  crop  was  more  dis- 
tended than  ordinary,  I  therefore  made  an  incision,  and  took 


86  THE     REARING     AND 

out  a  vast  quantity  of  these  hops,  evidently  the  cause  of  the 
disorder.  The  bird  now  grew  better,  and  had  the  crop  been 
relieved  earlier,  I  think  would  have  done  well,  but  it  was  now 
too  much  weakened,  and  died  within  a  week  after/' — H.  H. 

Another  patient  was  treated  with  better  success. 

"  The  case  of  the  Silver  Hamburgh  Hen,  which  was  poisoned 
and  recovered  again,  stands  thus.  She  was  a  very  errant 
Hen,  and  the  only  one  that  I  could  not  keep  in  the  proper 
fowl-yard.  Now  I  had  for  some  time  been  feeding  the  Fowls 
on  soft  food,  and  one  Saturday  afternoon  I  saw  the  Hen  in 
question  reeling  about  as  if  she  were  drunk  ;  presently  she 
put  out  her  legs  quite  stiff  and  fell  down  with  scarcely  any 
symptoms  of  life  remaining.  I  took  her  up  and  felt  her  crop, 
when  I  found  she  had  been  eating  hard  food.  It  then  occurred 
to  me  that  she  must  have  been  poisoned  by  corn  laid  by  my 
neighbour  to  destroy  the  sparrows;  which  afterwards  proved 
true.  Having  a  great  partiality  to  that  breed  of  Fowl,  and 
moreover  the  Hen  being  a  gift  from  you,  I  felt  great  reluctance 
to  lose  her;  and  finding  there  was  no  chance  of  saving  her  but 
by  rough  means,  I  resolved  to  open  her  crop,  which  I  did  by 
making  an  incision  of  about  three-fourths  of  an  inch,  or  an 
inch  long,  with  my  penknife,  and  emptied  her  crop  of  as  much 
as  it  could  possibly  hold  of  wheat  poisoned  with  nux  vomica. 
I  then  poured  tepid  water  into  her  mouth,  and  rinced  her  out 
well  that  way,  letting  it  run  out  of  her  crop :  after  which  I 
carefully  sewed  her  crop  up,  and  gave  her  three  antibilious 
pills,  not  having  any  jalap  in  the  house.  It  may  be  remarked 
by  the  way,  that  a  Hen  can  apparently  take  as  much  jalap  or 
pills,  without  inconvenience,  as  a  man.  Between  hope  and 
despair,  I  put  her  at  night  into  a  warm  place,  and  left  her 
bread  and  milk  for  her  supper.  Next  morning,  when  I  went 
to  see  her,  I  found  her  as  lively  as  possible :  she  made  her 
escape  from  me  at  once,  and  was  immediately  joined  by  her 
husband.  She  had  laid  .an  egg  during  the  night,  and  always 


MANAGEMENT     OP     FOWLS.  87 

afterwards  was  as  good  a  layer  as  any  other  Hen.  But 
although  I  could  not  myself  find  any  fault  with  my  execution 
of  the  above  surgical  operation,  the  Hens  her  companions  did, 
and  were  so  anxious  to  unlace  her  boddice,  and  otherwise  ill- 
treat  her,  that  I  was  obliged  to  keep  her  away  from  them. 
Some  weeks  after  the  operation,  the  cotton  with  which  I  sewed 
her  up  came  away  from  her;  but  before  that  time  she  lived 
with  the  rest,  and  never,  except  on  the  day  she  took  the  poison, 
showed  any  symptoms  of  illness.  She  is  at  present  alive  and 
well,  and  yclept  Susannah." — G.  P.  S. 

The  gapes  is  an  inflammation  of  the  respiratory  organs, 
causing  Chickens  to  gasp  for  breath,  and  generally  proving 
fatal.  Various  forms  and  degrees  of  inflammation  of  the  lungs, 
accompanied  by  fever,  are  the  great  scourge  of  the  young  of 
gallinaceous  birds.  Some  attribute  the  fever  to  their  being 
overpowered  by  too  much  heat,  but  I  cannot  believe  such  to 
be  the  cause  of  the  symptoms.  "  Some  of  my  Chickens,  about 
ten  days  old,  have  died  lately  of  a  sort  of  low  fever,  growing 
thinner  and  thinner  in  spite  of  the  best  attendance  and  most 
nourishing  food.  I  cannot  find  out  the  cause,  except  their 
being  too  much  expoa&d  to  the  meridian  sun,  and  have  obviated 
it  accordingly." — II.  H.  But  a  wetting  in  a  sudden  shower, 
a  run  through  long  grass  before  the  dew  is  off,  an  insufficient 
or  irregular  supply  of  food  and  drink  for  a  single  day,  are  any 
of  them  sumcient  to  produce  a  similar  disappointing  result. 
With  Chickens  at  a  more  advanced  age,  one  very  likely  cause 
is,  the  Hen  being  permitted  to  go  to  roost,  leaving  them  to 
take  care  of  themselves  during  weather  that  is  too  cold  for 
them  to  do  without  the  warmth  of  their  mother,  instead  of  her 
being  confined  with  them  all  night  in  the  coop.  Or,  when  the 
eoop  has  been  left  abroad  in  a  garden  or  on  a  lawn,  I  have 
known  the  family  to  be  attacked  by  a  rat  or  weasel ;  the  Hen 
has  given  the  enemy  a  warm  reception,  and  the  little  ones 
have  escaped  for  the  time  by  squatting  in  strawberry  beds,  and 


88  THE     REARING     AND      , 

behind  box  edgings,  but  they  have  all  subsequently  died  from 
their  night's  exposure.  If  these  points  of  mismanagement  are 
carefully  avoided,  the  malady  will  rarely  make  its  appearance. 
Some  cruel  French  experiments  are  on  record,  in  which  Chickens 
were  purposely  brought  to  an  incurable  state  of  inflammation, 
by  subjecting  them  to  these  baneful  influences. 

In  some  cases  the  presence  of  parasitic  worms  in  the  air- 
passages  is  a  further  aggravation  of  the  inflammatory  symptoms. 
In  the  elaborate  article  on  Bronchitis  in  the  "  Penny  Cyclo- 
paedia," a  figure  is  given  of  one  of  these  annoying  creatures. 
It  is  stated  that  in  quadrupeds  the  bronchial  tubes,  and  the 
windpipe,  and  often  the  larynx  and  the  fauces,  are  filled  with 
small  worms,  forming  a  kind  of  coat  mixed  with  the  mucus, 
or  connected  together  in  knots  of  various  sizes.  The  disease 
is  said  to  be  either  produced,  or  much  aggravated,  by  the 
presence  of  these  worms  and  the  irritation  which  they  pro- 
duce. No  notice,  however,  is  taken  of  the  worms  which  some- 
times infest  Fowls  similarly  affected. 

Having  never  detected  any  such  worms  in  Chickens  that 
had  died  of  the  gapes,  and  believing  that  all  the  apparent 
symptoms  were  to  be  accounted  for  by  inflammation  caused 
by  cold  and  wet,  I  began  to  doubt  the  existence  of  the  para- 
sites, and  stated  as  much  to  a  gentleman,  who  replied,  "I  wish 
to  make  you  a  little  less  sceptical  about  the  fasciolae.  I  used 
to  think  as  you  do,  that  it  was  merely  inflammation,  but  a 
little  dissection  of  the  trachea  soon  showed  me  the  worms  ad- 
hering to  the  inner  membrane  of  the  windpipe.  I  have  actually 
found  as  many  as  seven  or  eight  in  a  single  individual.  If  you 
wish  to  be  convinced,  cut  off  the  neck  of  the  next  Chick  that 
dies,  the  larger  the  better  for  investigation,  and  open  the  trachea 
gently  with  your  penknife,  and  your  doubts  will  be  set  at  rest 
for  ever.  You  are  certainly  right  so  far,  that  no  Chick  can 
be  cured  that  is  either  very  young,  or  very  far  gone  in  the 
disorder.  But  if  not  too  young,  and  taken  in  time;  the  fasciolae 


MANAGEMENT    OF    FOWLS.  89 

can  easily  be  either  brought  up  by  the  insertion  of  a  wire  or 
feather,  or  so  loosened  that  the  bird  can  cough  them  up.  The 
inhalation  of  tobacco  smoke,  and  other  useless  and  uncertain 
modes,  are  ten  times  more  distressing  to  the  Chicken,  and  do 
not  produce  the  desired  effect. 

"  Those  writers,  too,  are  totally  wrong  who  recommend  the 
attempt  to  destroy  fasciolae  by  thrusting  down  a  straw  and  oil 
into  the  windpipe.  Pray  do  not  try  the  method,  as  I  have 
suffered  enough  by  it ;  the  straw  being  a  bad  thing  in  itself, 
and  the  oil,  the  smallest  quantity  of  which  stops  respiration, 
and  is  therefore  used  by  entomologists  to  kill  insects,  still  worse. 
Several  Chicks  have  died  under  my  hands  by  it.  But  the 
proper  and  only  successful  way  is,  adroitly  to  put  a  small 
wire,  or  feather  without  any  web,  except  at1  the  farther  end, 
down  the  windpipe.  Give  the  wire  a  few  turns,  and  the  fas- 
ciolae will  come  up  at  the  end,  or  the  bird  will  cough  them 
up.  This  will,  of  course,  only  do  for  Chicks  not  less  than  a 
fortnight  or  three  weeks  old ;  younger  ones  will  not  stand  it, 
and  must  be  left  to  their  fate,  unless  turpentine  will  save  them. 
Smoking  them  in  a  watering-pot,  after  Montague's  plan,  is  a 
doubtful  remedy,  and  much  more  punishment  to  the  birds. 

"  This  season  (1848)  the  fasciolse  have  troubled  me  a  little, 
and  I  have  extracted  some,  but  my  hand  is  not  in  for  it  this 
year.  The  disease  seems  more  a  slight  annoyance  and  hin- 
drance to  their  growth,  than  the  fatal  sweeping  pest  it  is  some- 
times. I  thought  I  would  try  turpentine,  and  find  it,  as  I  ex- 
pected, perfectly  useless.  As,  however,  the  fasciolae  are  some- 
times too  small  to  be  brought  up,  turpentine  might  be  of  ad- 
vantage to  dip  the  end  of  the  wire  or  feather  before  putting  it 
down  the  trachea. 

"  I  do  not  think  fasciolae  are  ever  engendered  by  wet;  but 
Chickens  that  have  the  disorder,  in  itself  a  weakening  one, 
become  very  much  affected  by  a  degree  of  damp  that  would 
not  otherwise  have  injured  them.  Fasciolae  have  raged  with 


90  THE     REARING     AND 

me  in  the  driest  and  hottest  summers.  You  will  observe,  in 
those  I  sent,  that  each  worm  is  furnished  with  a  large  round 
head  and  mouth,  like  the  head  of  a  pin,  by  which  to  attach 
itself  to  the  inner  membrane  of  the  trachea.  A  larger  speci- 
men than  the  one  I  sent  (it  is  about  an  inch  long)  has  not 
yet  occurred  to  me ;  but  I  know  not  how  large  they  may  grow. 
My  way  of  late  years  has  been  to  confine  the  Hens  very  much 
in  large  coops,  and  move  them  to  entirely  fresh  places  every 
other  day,  when  the  Chicks  forage  for  insects.  There  is  one 
thing  with  regard  to  the  number  of  Chickens  asserted  to  be 
reared  by  the  Chiswick  hydro-incubator,  which  I  cannot  un- 
derstand, viz  ,  how  so  many  young  birds  can  be  reared  together 
without  producing  disease,  and  especially  the  fascioke  or  gapes. 
In  my  own  experience  (and  in  some  seasons  we  have  killed 
one  hundred  and  seventy  for  the  table  in  the  coarse  of  the 
year)  I  am  generally  obliged  to  move  the  broods  from  yards 
and  houses  to  open  fields,  and  if  a  place  is  selected  where  no 
Chicks  have  ever  been  reared,  so  much  the  better.  How  Can- 
telo  manages  I  know  not :  perhaps  his  establishment  has  not 
yet  been  many  years  in  the  same  place.  On  a  farm  newly 
built,  and  ground  reclaimed,  I  would  undertake  to  breed  any 
number,  as  this  overcrowding  (which  Mowbray  called  the 
1  taint')  is  the  origin  of  nearly  every  disorder." — H.  H.  These 
are  useful  and  practical  remarks ;  but  it  will  be  only  doing 
justice  to  the  merits  of  turpentine,  which  is  a  powerful  vermi- 
fuge, to  give  the  report  of  another  case. 

"I  have  not  been  unsuccessful — or  rather,  I  should  say,  a 
deaf  and  dumb  brother  of  mine — in  raising  Fowls  this  year 
(1847).  My  first  two  trips  of  Chicks  had  the  '  gapes'  very 
badly.  I  gave  them,  a  little  spirit  of  turpentine  in  rice,  and 
afterwards  put  a  little  salt  in  the  water  given  to  them,  and  saved 
sixteen  out  of  twenty.  To  all  the  Chicks  since  hatched,  I  gave 
salt  in  their  water,  and  I  have  about  eighty  without  any  sick- 
ness. The  reason  of  success  from  this  treatment  is  very  clear. 


MANAGEMENT    OF    FOWLS.  91 

The  '  gapes '  are  merely  bronchitis.  The  worms  are  formed 
in  the  stomach  (?),  and,  if  you  put  an  ounce  of  unslaked  lime 
into  eight  ounces  of  water,  and  draw  it  off,  adding  to  this  some 
salt,  and  put  about  a  table-spoonful  in  the  water  the  Chicks 
drink,  the  insect  is  destroyed  in  the  stomach  with  certainty ; 
salt  alone,  regularly  given,  will  have  this  effect.  When  the 
insect  gets  from  the  stomach  into  the  windpipe,  there  is  a 
difficulty.  But  spirits  of  turpentine  are  absorbed  into  the  lungs, 
and  the  breath  discharges  part  of  the  spirits  through  the  wind- 
pipe, and  thus  also  destroys  the  worm.  The  common  works 
on  the  treatment  of  Chicks  when  ill  of  the  '  gapes '  are  full  of 
irrational  matter  and  perfect  nonsense." — T.  F. 

It  may  be  observed  that,  if  the  worms  do  get  from  the  sto- 
mach into  the  windpipe,  it  must  be  by  travelling  up  the  gullet, 
entering  the  mouth,  and  then  passing  down  the  windpipe ; 
that  though  salt  does  destroy  intestinal  worms,  it  must  be  ad- 
ministered cautiously  to  Chickens,  lest  we  poison  the  patient, 
as  well  as  the  parasites ;  and  that  the  mere  vapour  of  turpen- 
tine will  have  little  effect  upon  worms  that  are  deeply  imbedded 
in  mucus. 

We  have  now  to  notice  another  disgusting  affliction  to  which 
Fowls  are  liable,  and  which  it  would  be  more  agreeable  to  pass 
by  altogether. 

"  Some  time  ago  I  had  a  beautiful  brood  of  Black  Spanish 
Chickens,  and  the  day  after  they  were  hatched  I  happened  to 
take  one  in  my  hand,  and  was  much  struck  by  observing  on 
the  top  of  its  poll  five  or  six  large  full-grown  lice,  evidently 
caught  from  the  mother.  I  then  examined  the  whole  brood, 
and  found  them  all  similarly  affected.  Knowing  that  they 
would  not  thrive  until  I  had  dislodged  or  destroyed  the  enemy, 
the  next  day  I  attempted  to  pick  them  out ;  but  I  found  that, 
having  only  been  left  one  night,  the  whole  poll  was  covered 
with  nits,  and  I  could  not  get  rid  of  them  from  their  hanging 
so  tenaciously  to  the  down.  I  procured  some  white  precipitate 


92  THE    REARING     AND 

powder,  and,  with  a  small  camel-hair  pencil,  powdered  them 
over.  On  examining  them  the  next  day,  I  found  the  parasites 
had  all  disappeared,  nor  could  I  detect  one  in  their  after  growth. 
They  grew  and  thrived  so  remarkably  afterwards,  that  I  was 
convinced  this  was  a  valuable  discovery,  and  have  ever  since 
treated  all  my  broods  the  same,  and  have  never  lost  one  from 
sickness.  All  Hens  are  affected  with  these  parasites,  and  as 
they  do  not  dust  themselves  so  frequently  during  the  time  of 
incubation,  they  are  more  liable  to  them.  I  have  ascertained 
from  observation,  that  as  soon  as  the  Chickens  are  hatched, 
these  pests  leave  the  parent  for  the  young,  and  if  they  are  not 
destroyed,  they  weaken  the  Chicken  so  much,  that,  if  any  com- 
plaint comes  on,  the  poor  little  thing  has  not  strength  to  con- 
tend with  it.  The  best  time  to  apply  the  precipitate  is  when 
they  are  two  or  three  days  old,  and  at  night  after  they  are 
gone  to  roost;  but  the  Hens  must  not  be  touched  with  it; 
as,  in  pluming  her  feathers  she  draws  them  through  her  beak, 
and  the  precipitate  being  a  strong  poison,  would  no  doubt 
prove  fatal  to  her.  In  fact,  there  is  no  occasion  for  it ;  as  I 
could  never  detect  them  in  her  ;  they  had  no  doubt  left  her 
for  the  young.  A  very  small  quantity  should  be  used ;  as  one 
pennyworth,  purchased  at  a  chemist's,  is  sufficient  for  several 
broods."— £.  B. 

A  slight  application  of  spirit  of  turpentine  and  water  answers 
the  same  purpose,  and  may  be  preferred  by  many  persons  who 
have  a  natural  dislike  to  the  use  of  poison.  For,  where  poi- 
sons are  admitted  at  all,  there  is  no  guessing  what  may  be  the 
end  of  them,  and  the  relief  of  one  creature  from  parasites  by 
these  means,  may  cause  the  death  of  another.  For  instance, 
after  a  sheep-dipping,  a  gentleman  lost  a  lot  of  valuable  Ame- 
rican Turkeys ;  they  had  devoured  the  poisoned  maggots,  ticks, 
&c.,  that  dropped  from  the  sheep,  and  were  themselves  poisoned 
by  them.  This  is  a  warning  never  to  allow  sheep-dippings  to  talce 


MANAGEMENT    OF    FOWLS.  93 

place  within  the  range  of  poultry,  all  of  which,  except  Geese, 
would  be  liable  to'  the  same  fate. 

There  are  some  startling  facts  on  the  subject  of  parasitic 
insects,  to  be  found  in  the  "  Monographia  Anoplurorum  Bri- 
tanniae,"  by  Mr.  Henry  Denny,  Curator  to  the  Leeds  Philoso- 
phical Society,  a  work  which,  although  with  a  dog-latin  title, 
that  has  doubtless  limited  its  circulation,  is  written  in  such 
plain  and  truthful  English,  as  to  make  the  flesh  creep  on  one's 
bones.  It  is  not  easy  to  enjoy  uninterrupted  slumber  the  night 
after  reading  Mr.  Denny's  Monograph. 

"  The  author  has  had  to  contend  with  repeated  rebukes  from 
his  friends  for  entering  upon  the  illustration  of  a  tribe  of  in- 
sects whose  very  name  was  sufficient  to  create  feelings  of  dis- 
gust. '  Why  not  take  up  some  more  interesting  or  popular  de- 
partment of  Entomology? '  has  been  the  frequent  remark  made 
to  him.  He  considered,  however,  that  if  he  wished  to  render 
any  service  to  science,  he  must  not  consult  popular  taste  or 
ephemeral  fashion,  but  must  take  a  page  from  that  part  of  the 
great  Book  of  Nature  less  generally  read,  and  consequently 
less  understood  and  appreciated,  by  the  world  at  large." 

The  number  and  variety  of  species  given  is  frightful ;  some 
of  those  which  infest  Poultry  are  : — 

"  Goniocotes  hologaster  (Louse  of  the  Domestic  Fowl). 

<(  Goniodes  falcicbrnis  (Louse  of  the  Peacock). — This  beauti- 
ful (!)  parasite  is  common  upon  the  Peacock,  and  may  be 
found — after  the  death  of  the  bird — congregated  in  numbers 
about  the  base  of  the  beak  and  crown  of  the  head.  During 
the  year  1827,  three  or  four  specimens  of  Pavo  cristatus  hav- 
ing passed  through  my  hands,  upon  each  of  which  I  observed, 
for  the  first  time,  several  examples  of  the  large  and  well-marked 
parasite  of  this  bird,  the  Goniodes  falcicornisj  I  was  induced  to 
examine  whatever  other  species  of  birds,  &c.,  might  come  in 
my  way,  to  ascertain  whether  great  diversity  in  size  or  ap- 
pearance existed  between  the  parasites  of  different  species  or 


94  THE    REARING    AND 

genera.  This  I  soon  found  to  be  so  considerable,  that  I  re- 
solved  upon  forming  a  collection,  and  ascertaining  what  was 
written  upon  the  parasitic  tribes. 

"  Goniodes  stylifer  (Louse  of  the  Turkey). — Common  upon 
the  Turkey,  frequenting  the  head,  neck,  and  breast :  a  very 
beautiful  species.  The  males  of  this  and  all  the  other  species 
of  Goniodes  use  the  first  and  third  joints  of  the  antennae  with 
great  facility,  acting  the  part  of  a  finger  and  thumb. 

"  Goniodes  dissimilis  (Louse  of  the  Domestic  Fowl). — I  sus- 
pect this  species  is  of  rare  occurrence. 

"  Lipeurusvariabilis  (Louse  of  the  Domestic  Fowl). — Com- 
mon on  the  Domestic  Fowl,  preferring  the  primary  and  se- 
condary feathers  of  the  wings,  among  the  webs  of  which  they 
move  with  great  celerity. 

"  Lipeurus  polytrapezius  (Louse  of  the  Turkey). — A  com- 
mon parasite  upon  the  Turkey.  Their  mode  of  progression  is 
rather  singular,  as  well  as  rapid.  They  slide,  as  it  were  side- 
ways, extremely  quick  from  one  side  of  the  fibre  of  a  feather  to 
the  other,  and  move  equally  well  in  a  forward  or  retrogade  di- 
rection, which,  together  with  their  flat  polished  bodies,  renders 
them  extremely  difficult  to  catch  or  hold.  I  have  observed 
that  where  two  or  more  genera  infest  one  bird,  they  have  each 
their  favourite  localities ;  for  while  the  Goniodes  stylifer  will 
be  found  on  the  breast  and  neck  of  the  bird,  the  Lipeurus 
polytrapezius  will  be  congregated  in  numbers  on  the  webs  and 
shafts  of  the  primary  wing  feathers. 

" Menopon pallidum  (Louse  of  the  Domestic  Fowl). — Found 
in  great  abundance  in  Poultry,  running  over  the  hands  of  those 
who  are  plucking  Fowls,  and  difficult  to  brush  off,  from  the 
smoothness  of  their  bodies."  Those  who  are  desirous  of  fuller 
information  should  consult  the  work  itself. 

It  may  be  suggested  that  the  discovery  by  the  microscope  of 
fossil  parasites,  might  determine  the  species  of  doubtful  ex- 
tinct birds  and  animals,  by  the  same  sort  of  reasoning  as  the 


MANAGEMENT    OF    FOWLS.  95 

order  of  fossiliferous  strata  is  decided  by  the  organic  remains 
found  in  them. 

But  what  a  contrast  is  here  displayed !  The  glittering 
argus-eyed  plumage  of  the  Peacock,  undermined  by  lice! 
Ach!  Degrading!  We  are  but  smoking  flax.  The  Pope, 
at  his  coronation,  is  reminded,  by  the  outward  visible  sign  of 
extinguished  flame,  and  by  words,  "Sancte  Pater,  sic  transit 
gloria  mundi" — "Holy  Father,  thus  passes  away  the  glory  of 
earthly  things."  The  Prelate,  encased  with  gold  and  gems, 
but  wearing  beneath  his  outward  show  sackcloth,  and  perhaps 
vermin,  voluntarily,  and  the  Peacock,  with  his  unrivalled 
plumes,  irritated  by  these  odious  defilers,  involuntarily,  that 
in  life  move  among  the  webs  hastily,  and  after  death  "  attract 
notice"  about  the  seat  of  beauty  and  honour,  the  head  and 
crest — are  the  same  in  kind — apparent  magnificence  balanced 
by  unseen  evil.  Like  unto  them,  also,  are  the  great  and  power- 
ful of  this  world,  devoured  by  heart-eating  cares  and  irre- 
mediable disappointments.  What  a  natural  and  almost  true 
superstition  was  that  of  the  old  Greek  Nemesis  !  The  returned 
ring  of  Poly  crates  is  the  fate  of  few  mortals;  nor  to  be  wished 
for.  The  boast,  "Soul,  thou  hast  much  goods,  take  thine 
ease,"  is  apt  to  be  followed  by  heavy  retribution. 

"  See  how  glorious,  how  splendid,  how  secure  we  are ! 
What  can  touch  us,  or  ruffle  our  luxurious  calm  ?  Why  need 
we  humble  ourselves,  and  go  softly,  and  think  of  our  less 
happy  brethren  now  and  then  ?  Nemesis  is  an  exploded 
phantom,  self-denial  a  superstitious  folty."  Yes:  "all  men 
think  all  men  mortal — but  themselves."  They  who  have 
felt  no  loss,  no  sorrow,  have  need  to  be  greatly  fearful !  The 
black  threads  which  the  Sisters  weave  into  our  web  of  life,  are 
healthful  as  warnings,  merciful  as  threatenings,  needful  as 
preservatives.  A  world  was  not  saved  without  a  sufficient 
sacrifice.  How  shall  frail  and  paltry  individuals  swim  on  in 
everlasting  sunshine  ?  The  check  in  careering  prosperity,  the 


96  THE    REARING    AND 

lice  in  the  enameled  panoply,  remind  us  what  we  are  in  the 
eight  of  The  Ever-present. 

"  And  upon  a  set  day,  Herod,  arrayed  in  royal  apparel,  sat 
upon  his  throne,  and  made  an  oration  unto  them.  And  the 
people  gave  a  shout,  saying,  It  is  the  voice  of  a  god,  and  not 
of  a  man.  And  immediately  the  angel  of  the  Lord  smote 
him,  because  he  gave  not  God  the  glory :  and  he  was  eaten 
up  of  worms,  and  gave  up  the  ghost." 

Let  us  be  thankful  for  sorrows,  humble  and  loving  in  good 
fortune ;  for  it  is  of  no  use  to  sit  in  the  sun,  reflecting  his 
splendour  by  our  trappings,  and  to  be,  like  Herod,  stricken 
of  worms  at  last. 

The  following  letter,  received  by  the  Editor,  from  an 
esteemed  correspondent,  will,  I  am  sure,  be  read  with  great 
interest  by  the  Poultry  breeder  and  fancier.  If  its  suggestions 
be  carried  out  to  the  letter,  they  will  never  have  occasion  to 
complain  of  vermin.  The  sulphur  of  which  he  speaks  has  a 
very  decided  tendency  to  the  skin,  and  destroys  the  vermin  on 
poultry,  as  it  is  the  parasite  constituting  the  disease  vulgarly 
known  as  "  the  itch." 

Northumberland,  Oct.  15,  1850. 

MY  DEAR  SIR, — I  have  several  tolerably  good  reasons  for 
not  replying  to  you  sooner — absence,  business,  felon  on  the 
finger,  &c. 

You  wish  me  to  give  my  views  on  "Henology,"  and  par- 
ticularly in  relation  to  poultry-houses.  On  this  latter  subject 
I  do  not  feel  prepared,  either  by  practice  or  in  theory,  to  give 
satisfactory  or  reliable  information. 

In  the  country  and  in  villages,  where  space  is  little  worth, 
and  there  is  not  much  necessity  for  restriction,  Fowls  are  gene- 
rally allowed  the  "  largest  amount  of  liberty."  And  this, 
with  reasonable  limitations,  in  connection  with  plentiful  and 


MANAGEMENT     OF     FOWLS.  97 

various  food,  is  indispensable  to  perfect  health,  rapid  growth, 
and  a  profitable  yield  of  eggs.  It  is  not  possible  to  compensate 
a  laying  Hen  for  the  want  of  liberty.  Coop  her  up — give  her 
grain,  meat,  vegetables,  fruit,  water,  gravel,  lime,  every  thing 
that  may  be  thought  conducive  to  health  and  comfort,  and 
though  her  yield  of  eggs  will  greatly  exceed  that  of  alien  confined 
and  kept  in  an  ordinary  way,  it  will  by  no  means  compare 
with  that  of  a  Hen  in  a  state  of  liberty,  equally  well  kept, 
one  that  breathes  the  wholesome,  free,  circulating  air,  and 
picks  grass,  gravel,  worms,  and  insects,  to  suit  herself.  The 
want  of  range  has  almost  as  much  effect  on  the  comparative 
barrenness  of  a  Hen  in  winter,  as  the  cold.  Liberty  and  varied 
abundance  are  the  two  greatest  essentials  for  poultry,  old  and 
young,  to  promote  health,  growth,  beauty,  and  fertility. 

Lice  have  very  justly  been  considered  the  greatest  draw- 
back to  the  success  and  pleasure  of  the  poultry-fancier,  and 
nothing  short  of  unremitting  vigilance  will  exterminate  them, 
and  keep  them  exterminated.  To  attain  this,  whitewash 
frequently  all  the  parts  adjacent  to  the  roosting  poles,  take 
down  these,  and  run  them  slowly  through  a  fire  made  of  wood 
shavings,  dry  weeds,  or  other  light  waste  combustibles,  until 
every  adhering  louse  and  lousette  is  demolished.  Flowers  of 
sulphur  (which  costs  five  or  six  cents  a  pound)  given  to  Fowls 
with  Indian  meal,  is  highly  recommended;  about  one  ounce 
to  a  chicken,  to  be  given  in  as  short  a  time  as  they  can  be 
induced  to  eat  it.  This  to  be  repeated,  at  discretion.  I  have 
tried  these  combined  remedies,  apparently  with  good  result. 
What  share  the  sulphur  had  in  it,  I  cannot  positively  say. 
It  certainly  never  injured  the  chickens,  and  very  probably 
improved  their  general  health.  In  warm  and  moderate 
weather,  the  best  place  for  poultry  to  roost  is  in  the  open  air, 
where  sunshine,  and  rain,  and  wind  tend  equally  to  the  de- 
struction of  parasites. 

Hens  should  be  made  to  lay  in  portable  boxes,  that  may  be 


98  THE     REARING     AND 

carried  out  occasionally,  and  the  hay  or  straw  composing  the 
nest  burnt  in  the  box.  In  this  way,  thousands  of  vermin 
may  be  destroyed.  This  is  particularly  beneficial,  a  day  or 
two  before  a  Hen  brings  out  her  brood.  Remove  the  eggs 
with  great  care  into  a  box  freshly  burnt  out,  and  put  it  in  the 
place  of  the  old  one.  Then  immediately  burn  out  the  one 
removed.  As  soon  as  the  chickens  are  hatched,  put  them  into 
a  well  lined  basket,  and  if  the  weather  be  cool,  place  them 
near  the  fire.  When  all  are  out  of  the  shell,  give  the  Hen  a 
thorough  greasing  under  the  wings  and  thighs,  on  the  breast, 
and,  most  particularly,  in  the  hollow  between  the  rump  and 
vent.  In  this  last  spot,  lice  are  sometimes  found  in  a  crawling 
mass  six  or  eight  deep.  Then  the  chicks  may  be  safely  re- 
turned to  the  mother,  and  if  compelled  to  roost  in  a  fresh 
clean  place,  they  will  keep  clear  of  lice  for  weeks,  and  grow 
twice  as  fast  as  lousy  ones. 

If  perchance,  through  neglect  or  accident,  they  become 
verminous,  grease  them  on  the  parts  named  above,  and  on  the 
head  and  neck.  This  is  the  only  effectual,  certain  mode.  By 
continued,  systematic  warfare,  the  a  nasty  critters"  may  be 
kept  down.  If  they  are  not  kept  down,  the  chickens  will  be. 
I  have  known  young  Fowls  so  afflicted,  three  months  old,  no 
larger  than  clean  healthy  Chicks  of  six  weeks,  running  about 
with  their  heads  and  necks  as  featherless  and  more  naked 
than  the  day  they  were  hatched. 

Before  leaving  this  lousy  subject,  let  me  amuse  you  with 
an  incident  of  experimental  philosophy.  Last  year,  I  thought 
I  had  discovered  the  grand  secret  of  effectual  louse-murder. 
I  had  six  large  Hens,  sitting  on  about  ninety  choice  eggs, 
game,  Creole,  and  booby.  My  early  chickens  had  been  much 
injured  by  vermin,  and  I  resolved  to  give  these  summer  Chicks 
a  better  chance.  I  greased  every  brooding  Hen  from  head  to 
tail,  and  patiently  waited  the  result.  When  the  twenty  days 
of  each  expectant  incubatrix  had  expired,  I  looked  under  her 


MANAGEMENT     OF     FOWLS.  99 

in  vain  for  the  sundered  shells.  No  chick,  nor  chirp,  nor 
sign  of  life.  In  a  couple  of  days  I  opened  the  eggs,  and  lo! 
each  little  embryo  Cock  and  Hen  appeared  "in  statu  quo"  it 
was  when  the  grease  was  communicated  from  the  Hen  to  the 
egg,  except  that  it  was  defunct ; — the  very  hour  the  pores  of  the 
shells  were  closed  by  the  grease,  the  chickens  "went  dead." 

I  mention  this  incident,  inasmuch  as  Dr.  Bennett,  in  his 
Poultry  Book,  recommends  eggs  for  hatching  to  be  preserved 
in  grease.  Try  it,  and  I'll  wager  two  Chittagong  roosters 
against  a  Bantam,  you  don't  get  a  chicken. 

You  suggest  six  compartments  as  requisite  to  a  perfect  coop; 
among  the  rest,  one  for  laying,  and  one  for  sitting.  This  is 
certainly  desirable,  if  easily  effected.  But  the  trouble  is,  a 
hen  will  generally  sit  where  she  has  laid,  and  nowhere  else. 
In  some  cases  they  can  be  mov«d,  but  not  often  with  success. 

In  connection  with  the  subject  of  coops,  I  would  mention, 
what  perhaps  everybody  knows  who  pretends  to  know  any 
thing  about  poultry  :  they  should  always  be  built  fronting  the 
south  or  south-east,  and  furnished  on  that  side  with  several 
glazed  windows,  to  give  them,  in  winter,  sun  without  cold. 

Yours,  very  truly, 

DAVID  TAGGART. 

There  is  no  doubt  in  my  mind,  from  considerable  experience, 
that  almost  any  kind  of  grease  or  unctuous  matter  is  certain 
death  to  the  vermin  of  our  domestic  poultry;  and  although,  if 
used  properly,  it  will  remove  all  vermin,  yet,  in  the  case  of  very 
young  chicks,  it  should  only  be  used  in  a  warm  sunny  day, 
and  they  should  be  put  into  a  coop  with  the  mother,  and  the 
coop  darkened  for  an  hour  or  two,  and  every  thing  made 
quiet,  that  they  may  get  a  good  rest  and  nap  after  the  fatigue 
occasioned  by  greasing  them.  They  should  be  handled  with 
great  care,  and  greased  thoroughly;  the  Hen  also.  After 
resting,  they  may  be  permitted  to  come  out  and  bask  in  the 
sun,  and  in  a  few  days  will  look  sprightly  enough. 


100 


CHAPTER  III. 

ON   EGGS  :   THEIR   COLOUR,    FORM,    AND   SEX. 

"  Do  you  see  that  the  resemblance  of  one  egg  with  another  has  passed  into  a  pro- 
verb? X"et,  granting  this  to  be  true,  I  have  heard  that  there  were  in  Delos  many 
people  who  used  to  keep  a  number  of  Hens  for  the  sake  of  profit;  and  when  they  in- 
spected their  Eggs,  were  in  the  habit  of  pronouncing  which  lien  had  laid  that  par- 
ticular one." — CICERO,  II.  -Academicarum. 

THE  Deliaci,  it  is  clear,  knew  something  about  (<  Eyes  and 
no  Eyes,  or  the  Art  of  Seeing  •"  for  Eggs  are  popularly  sup- 
posed to  be  so  much  alike,  that  what  can  be  said  about  one 
Egg  is  thought  applicable  to  every  other  laid  by  the  same  spe- 
cies of  bird — the  common  Hen  for  example  ;  but  there  is  nearly 
as  much  distinguishable  difference  between  the  units  in  every 
egg-basket  which  is  carried  to  market,  as  there  is  between  the 
faces  in  a  crowd  of  men,  or  the  hounds  in  a  pack.  To  every 
Hen  belongs  an  individual  peculiarity  in  the  form,  colour,  and 
size  of  the  Egg  she  lays,  which  never  changes  during  her  whole 
lifetime,  so  long  as  she  remains  in  health,  and  which  is  as  well 
known  to  those  who  are  in  the  habit  of  taking  her  produce,  as 
the  handwriting  of  their  nearest  acquaintance.  Some  Hens 
lay  smooth,  cream-coloured  Eggs,  others  rough,  chalky,  granu- 
lated ones  :  there  is  the  buff,  the  snow-white,  the  spherical, 
the  oval,  the  pear-shaped,  and  the  emphatically  Egg-shaped 
Egg.  A  farmer's  wife  who  interests  herself  in  the  matter,  will 
tell  you  with  precision,  in  looking  over  her  stores,  "  this  Egg 
was  laid  by  such  a  Hen" — a  favourite,  perhaps — "  this  one  by 


ON  EGGS:  101 

such  another;"  and  it  would  be  possible  that  she  should  go  on 
so  throughout  the  whole  flock  of  gcfilfry?  Of  course}  the 
greater  the  number  kept,  the  greater'  Incomes*  the  difficulty  in 
learning  the  precise  marks  of  each./,  Erorti'^asliefc  of 'thirty 
Eggs,  gathered  in  a  farm-yard 'as  'they'da'nie  to  "hand,  eleven, 
laid  by  one  or  two  Hens,  whose  race  we  were  desirous  to  con- 
tinue, were  selected  in  about  two  minutes  by  the  friend  who 
supplied  us  with  them.  If  four  dozen  Eggs,  laid  by  no  more 
than  four  different  Hens  (especially  if  of  different  breeds),  were 
put  at  random  on  a  table,  the  chances  are  that  it  would  be  as 
easy  to  sort  them  as  the  four  suits  of  a  pack  of  cards. 

This  fact  might  give  rise  to  curious  doubts  in  a  court  of 
justice.  When  petty  pilfering  has  been  suspected  about  a  farm, 
Eggs  have  been  minutely  marked  and  returned  to  the  places 
whence  they  were  taken  \  and  the  parties,  in  whose  possession 
they  were  subsequently  found,  have  been  convicted  of  the  theft. 
And  this — if  we  shut  our  eyes  to  the  crime  (for  it  is  a  crime) 
of  laying  traps  and  throwing  temptation  in  the  way  of  the 
weak — was  satisfactory  proof.  But  there  are  some  cases  in 
which  the  identity  of  an  Egg  could  be  sworn  to  without  any 
marking  whatsoever;  where  the  person  robbed  could  amrm 
positively,  "  this  Egg  is  my  property,  laid  by  such  a  Hen/' — 
could  pick  it  out  from  a  quantity  laid  by  other  Hens,  and  could 
produce  other  Eggs  to  pattern  it  in  proof  of  his  assertion.  Few 
town-bred  juries  would  believe  this ;  and  yet  it  is  quite  as 
possible  as  that  a  north-country  shepherd  should  swear  to  the 
countenance  of  a  single  sheep  stolen  from  a  flock  of  several 
hundreds — after  the  death  of  the  animal  too — which  has  been 
done. 

A  more  practical  and  agreeable  application  of  our  remarks 
may  be  made  in  the  choice  of  Eggs  for  hatching.  It  has  been 
copied  and  re-copied  from  quarto  to  octavo,  through  duodecimo 
and  pamphlet,  that  small  round  Eggs  produce  female,  and  long 
pointed  ones  male  chicks.  Now  I  assert  that  the  Hen  who 

9* 


102  ON   EGGS: 

lays  one  round  Egg,  will  continue  to  lay  all  her  Eggs  round  ; 
and  ^he-Hen  tbat  lajs  oae:oblong,  will  lay  all  oblong.  Con- 
sequently', one  Eeri  wo*iM^be  the  perpetual  mother  of  Cocks, 
aiio^h^r-mtiistwiemain  tl^e  .perpetual  producer  of  Pullets;  which 
is  absurd,  as  ctaily  experience  proves.  Every  dairy-maid  knows 
that  when  a  Hen  steals  a  nest  and  hatches  her  own  Eggs  only, 
the  brood  which  she  brings  home  contains  a  fair  proportion  of 
either  sex.  I  know  well  that  if  any  of  the  said  Hen's  female 
acquaintance  spy  out  her  secret  hoard,  they  will  set  other  bipeds 
a  good  example  by  adding  to,  instead  of  substracting  from,  the 
property  of.  her  neighbour.  But  chance  additions  are  not  suffi- 
cient to  account  for  the  mixture  of  Cocks  and  Hens  in  self-set 
broods,  supposing  the  theory  to  be  correct,  that  the  sex  of  the 
future  chick  is  denoted  by  the  form  of  the  Egg. 

Here  is  an  experiment  in  point.  An  old  lady,  whose  fowls 
were  all  white,  gave  me  a  small  globular  Egg,  as  round  as  a 
ball ;  it  was  added  to  a  clutch  of  Speckled  Dorkings.  The  re- 
sult was  the  due  number  of  Dorkings,  and  one  white  cockerel, 
which  we  kept  till  he  began  to  crow  :  it  ought  to  have  been  a 
pullet,  unless  the  compositor's  fingers  have  been  busy  in  re- 
printing one  error  at  least. 

Another  supposed  test  is  the  position  of  the  air-bag  at  the 
blunt  end  of  the  shell.  We  are  told  that,  "if  it  be  a  little  on 
one  side  it  will  produce  a  Hen ;  if  this  vacuity  be  exactly  in 
the  centre,  it  will  produce  a  Cock."  But,  take  a  basket  of 
Eggs,  examine  them  as  directed,  by  holding  them  between 
your  eye  and  a  candle,  and  you  will  find  very  few  indeed  in 
which  you  can  say  that  the  air-bubble  is  exactly  concentrical 
with  the  axis  of  the  Egg.  A  Cock  ought  thus  to  be,  like 
Ovid's  Black  Swan,  a  rare  bird.  But,  in  many  broods,  the 
cockerels  bear  a  proportion  of  at  least  one-third,  sometimes  two- 
thirds;  especially  in  those  hatched  during  winter  or  in  unfavour- 
able seasons ;  the  immediate  cause  being,  doubtless,  that  the 
Eggs  producing  the  robuster  sex  possess  a  stronger  vitality ; 


THEIR    COLOUR,     FORM,    AND     SEX.  103 

the  raore  remote  cause  being  the  same  wise  law  of  Providence, 
through  which,  in  the  human  race,  more  males  are  born  into 
the  world  than  females,  to  meet  the  wear  and  tear  of  war, 
labour,  and  accident. 

"  Neither/''  as  Mr.  Bissell  shrewdly  suggests,  "  are  these 
two  tests,  viz.,  the  shape  of  the  Egg  and  the  position  of  the 
air-bubble,  consistent  with  each  other.  Since  I  have  been  an 
experimenter  upon  that  subject,"  he  says,  "  and  my  experience 
is  corroborative  of  all  that  you  have  said,  I  will  just  give  you 
the  facts  as  they  occurred  in  one  or  two  instances  out  of  a  great 
number  of  similar  ones. 

"  The  fact  of  the  situation  of  the  air-bag  being  as  varied  in 
a  round  Egg  as  in  an  oval  or  long  one,  seems  to  me,  of  itself, 
to  be  fatal  to  the  test  by  which  we  are  told  to  distinguish  the 
sex  of  future  chickens ;  for  if  the  round  Egg  produces  a  pullet, 
and  an  Egg  with  the  air-bag  a  little  on  one  side  produces  the 
same,  it  argues  that  all  round  Eggs  should  have  the  air-bag  in 
that  position  (the  same  argument  applies  to  the  long  or  oval 
Egg),  or  one  test  contradicts  the  other.  That  such  is  not  the 
case,  and  that  the  position  of  the  air-bag  differs  as  much  in  a 
long  Egg  as  it  does  in  a  round,  I  need  hardly  assert,  for  the 
doubt  may  be  decided  by  the  examination  of  a  few  Eggs  by 
the  light  of  a  candle.  In  hatching  my  Spanish  Fowls,  I  was 
careful  to  examine,  and  set  none  but  round  Eggs,  with  the  air- 
bag  on  one  side,  and  if  there  is  any  truth  in  either  principle,  I 
ought  to  have  had  all  pullets ;  but  this,  instead,  is  the  result : — 
From  thirteen  Eggs  selected  as  above  stated,  were  hatched,  in 
June,  ten  chickens,  which  proved  to  be  four  cocks,  six  pullets ; 
from  eleven  Eggs,  set  early  in  July,  were  produced  six  chick- 
ens, viz.,  three  cocks  and  three  pullets ;  from  thirteen  Eggs, 
set  in  July,  were  produced  eight  chickens,  viz.,  five  cocks  and 
three  pullets ;  so  that  you  have  about  equal  numbers  of  either 
sex  from  Eggs  which  were  as  like  each  other  in  form,  size,  and 


104  ON   EGGS: 

position  of  air-bag  as  it  is  possible  for  Eggs  to  be  like  each 
other.  So  much  for  the  over  wise  I" 

In  short,  the  Bubble  Theory,  as  far  as  I  have  seen,  is  pro- 
perly described  by  its  name;  and  there  are,  I  believe,  no 
known  means  of  determining  beforehand  $he  sex  of  fowls,  ex- 
cept, perhaps,  that  Cocks  may  be  more  likely  to  issue  from 
large  Eggs,  and  Hens  from  small  ones.  Knowing,  however, 
that  the  Egg  of  each  Hen  may  be  recognised,  we  have  thus  the 
means  of  propagating  from  those  parents  whose  race  we  deem 
most  desirable  to  continue. 

A  correspondent  of  the  Agricultural  Gazette  has  recorded 
another  experiment : — "  During  the  last  summer  I  wanted  to 
raise  a  stock  of  poultry  from  a  favourite  Hen  and  Cock.  They 
were  of  the  black-breasted  red  Game  breed.  The  Cock  was 
purely  bred,  but  the  Hen  was  a  little  crossed.  The  Eggs  she 
laid  were  of  a  deep  buff  colour,  and  as  she  was  the  only  Hen  I 
had  which  laid  yellow  Eggs,  they  were  easily  collected.  When 
I  had  twenty-six  Eggs,  I  put  thirteen  of  the  largest  under  a 
brood  Hen  to  be  hatched ;  one  Egg  got  broken,  the  other 
twelve  had  chickens  in  them  :  one,  however,  died  in  the  shell, 
and  so  the  number  was  reduced  to  eleven.  Of  these  one  died 
before  I  could  ascertain  its  sex;  of  the  ten  remaining,  eight 
were  cocks  and  two  were  pullets.  The  thirteen  smaller  Eggs, 
I  also  put  under  a  broody  Hen,  and  she  hatched  me  ten  chick- 
ens. Of  these  eight  were  pullets  and  two  were  Cocks.  There 
is  no  difference  in  the  shape  of  the  Eggs  laid  by  the  same 
Hen  ;  in  size  they  vary  but  little.  I  observe  this  peculiarity, 
that  although  the  Hen  has  yellow  legs  and  the  Cock  black,  yet 
throughout  four  broods  which  I  have  had  from  the  same  Hen 
and  Cock  this  summer,  every  yellow-legged  chicken  has 
proved  a  Cock,  and  every  black-legged  one  a  pullet."  Sir 
Thomas  Brown  was  quite  right :  "  that  the  sex  is  discernible 
from  the  figure  of  Eggs,  or  that  Cocks  or  Hens  proceed  from 


THEIR    COLOUR,     FORM,     AND   SEX.  105 

long  or  round  ones,  as  many  contend,  experiment  will  easily 
frustrate." 

Horace,  Columella,  and  Pliny  had  the  same  notions  re- 
specting the  shape  of  Eggs  as  are  current  now,  but  they  ap- 
plied them  to  eating,  rather  than  hatching  purposes.  The 
long  eggs  were  better  tasted,  according  to  them,  because  they 
contained  Cocks  :  "  Those  which  are  laid  round,  produce  a 
female;  the  rest  a  male." — Pliny,  lib.  x.,c.  74. 


106 


CHAPTER  IV. 

EGGS  I    THEIR   PRESERVATION   FOR   CULINARY  PURPOSES. 

I  HAVE  taken  some  pains  to  ascertain  the  best  means  of 
preserving  Eggs.  I  have  visited  country-produce  dealers, 
freely  exchanged  views  with  them  on  the  subject,  and  the  con- 
clusion in  every  case  was  that  lime-water  ('tis  not  very  mate- 
rial whether  salt  be  added  or  not)  is  the  only  means  of  pre- 
serving Eggs  that  will  remunerate  for  the  trouble.  I  have  seen 
hogsheads  of  Eggs  thus  preserved  in  cellars  from  midsummer 
to  the  following  spring,  and  preserved  very  well  too.  The 
water  must  be  kept  as  highly  charged  with  lime  as  it  will  bear. 

Mr.  Dixon,  quoting  Mr.  Cobbett,  says,  "Preserved  Eggs 
are  things  to  run  from,  not  after. "  Perhaps  so,  perhaps  not, 
as  the  case  may  be.  At  any  rate,  many  articles  of  cookery, 
which  cannot  be  made  without  Eggs,  are  not  things  to  run 
from  ;  and,  therefore,  preserved  Eggs  must  be  had,  unless  you 
choose  to  disappoint  the  little  folks  of  their  Christmas  plum- 
pudding.  The  greater  part  of  the  Eggs  brought  to  market  in 
Norfolk  during  winter,  are  certainly  displeasing  enough,  quite 
uneatable  as  EggSj  and  only  not  offensive  to  the  smell.  They 
are  saved  from  putrefaction  by  immersion  in  lime-water,  to 
which  salt  is  added  by  some  housewives.  When  wanted,  they 
are  fished  out  of  the  tub,  wiped,  rubbed  with  a  little  silver-sand  to 
give  a  fresh-looking  roughness  to  the  shell,  and  sold  at  the  rate 
of  eight  for  a  shilling,  if  the  season  happen  to  be  severe 


EGGS:   THEIR   PRESERVATION.          107 

Cooks  say  they  answer  their  purpose  :  'but  it  is  assuredly  worth 
while  to  try  for  something  better. 

Reaumur's  experiments  with  varnish,  so  well  known  through 
the  industry  of  compilers,  appear  to  have  succeeded.  But 
varnished  Eggs  would  be  both  too  troublesome  and  too  ex- 
pensive to  be  the  subject  of  more  than  mere  experiment.  The 
best  way  of  obtaining  a  practical  result  is  to  inquire  what  me- 
thod is  pursued  by  any  set  of  people  to  whom  preserved  Eggs 
are  a  matter  of  necessity,  not  luxury.  Now  there  exists  a 
tribe  of  men,  British  subjects,  whose  daily  food,  whose  staff  of 
life,  is  Fowls  and  Eggs — both  preserved  during  great  part  of 
the  year.  In  maps  of  the  Ancient  World,  the  orbis  veteribus 
notus,  w*e  see  nations  marked  down  as  Ichthyophagi,  Fish- 
eaters,  Lotophagi,  Lotus-eaters;  and  a  new  race,  peculiar  to 
the  present  day,  appears  to  be  springing  up,  the  Mycophagi,  or 
Fungus-eaters,  who  will  be  wise  if  they  listen  to  the  warnings 
of  Dr.  Lindley.  Had  the  people  of  St.  Kilda  been  known  in 
those  days,  they  would  have  been  styled  Ornithophagi,  Bird- 
eaters,  and  Oophagi,  Egg-eaters.  Instead  of  their  keeping 
Fowls,  the  Fowls  keep  them.  Martin,  in  his  voyage  to  the 
Island  of  St.  Kilda,  (London  MDCXCVIII.)  says,  "I  remember 
the  allowance  of  each  Man  per  diem,  besides  a  Barley  Cake,  was 
eighteen  of  the  Eggs  laid  by  the  Fowl  called  by  them  Lavy* 
and  a  greater  number  of  the  lesser  Eggs,  as  they  differ  in  pro- 
portion ;  the  largest  of  these  Eggs  is  near  in  bigness  to  that  of 
a  Goose,  the  rest  of  the  Eggs  gradually  of  a  lesser  Size.  We 
had  the  curiosity,  after  Three  Weeks'  residence,  to  make  a  Cal- 
cule  of  the  number  of  Eggs  bestowed  upon  those  of  our  Boat, 


*  Subsequently  he  says,  "  The  Lavy,  so  called  by  the  inhabitants 
of  St.  Kilda  ;  by  the  Welch,  a  Guillem  ;  it  comes  near  to  the  bigness 
of  a  Duck;  its  head,  upper-side  of  the  Neck  all  downwards,  of  a 
dark-Brown,  and  White  Breast,  the  Bill  strait  and  sharp  pointed ; 
the  upper  Chop  hangs  over  the  lower  ;  its  Feet  and  Claws  are  Black." 


108  EGGS:    THEIR    PRESERVATION 

and  the  Stewarts  JBirlin,  or  Galley — the  whole  amounted  to 
Sixteen  thousand  Eggs ;  and,  without  all  doubt,  the  Inhabit- 
ants, who  were  triple  our  Number,  consumed  many  more 
Eggs  and  Fowls  than  we  could.  From  this  it  is  easy  to  ima- 
gine, that  a  vast  number  of  Fowls  must  resort  here  all  Sum- 
mer, which  is  yet  the  more  probable,  if  it  be  considered  that 
every  Fowl  lays  but  one  Egg  at  a  time,  if  allowed  to  hatch. " — • 
P.  12.  Subsequently  (p.  66)  he  tells  us,  "The  Eggs  are 
found  to  be  of  an  Astringent  and  Windy  Quality  to  Strangers, 
but,  it  seems,  are  not  so  to  the  Inhabitants,  who  were  used  to 
Eat  them  from  the  Nest  (or  cradle  ?).  Our  Men,  upon  their 
arrival  Eating  greedily  of  them,  became  Costive  and  Feverish," 
&c.  *  *  *  (Then  follows  the  remedy,  which  seems  to  have 
astonished  the  natives.) 

But  this  diet  is  to  be  had  fresh  only  during  a  short  part  of 
the  summer,  and  provision  must  be  made  to  prevent  famine  in 
the  winter,  when  it  is  too  stormy  to  fish ;  therefore,  says  Mar- 
tin, "They  preserve  their  Eggs  commonly  in  their  Stone- 
Pyramids,  scattering  the  burnt  ashes  of  Turf  under  and  about 
them,  to  defend  them  from  the  Air,  dryness  being  their  only 
Preservative,  and  moisture  their  Consumption  ;  they  preserve 
them,  Six,  Seven,  or  Eight  Months,  as  above  said ;  and  then 
they  become  Appetizing  (?)*  and  Loosening,  especially  those 
that  begin  to  turn."  Later  travellers  inform  us  that  the  same 
system  still  continues  to  be  practised. 

The  shells  of  these  sea-birds'  Eggs  are  more  fragile  than  those 
of  the  common  Hen,  which  circumstance  must  cause  them  to 
be  more  difficult  to  preserve ;  and  turf-ashes  clearly  make  a 
sweeter  and  more  effectual  packing  than  lime-water,  or  the 
means  usually  adopted  in  England.  But  they  are  only  to  be 
had  in  certain  localities.  Wood-ashes  are  too  light,  and  cinder- 

*  Does  this  mean  heayy  on  the  chest,  from  the  Italian  a, 
the  chest  ? 


EGGS:   THEIR   PRESERVATION.          107 

Cooks  say  they  answer  their  purpose  :  'but  it  is  assuredly  worth 
while  to  try  for  something  better. 

Reaumur's  experiments  with  varnish,  so  well  known  through 
the  industry  of  compilers,  appear  to  have  succeeded.  But 
varnished  Eggs  would  be  both  too  troublesome  and  too  ex- 
pensive to  be  the  subject  of  more  than  mere  experiment.  The 
best  way  of  obtaining  a  practical  result  is  to  inquire  what  me- 
thod is  pursued  by  any  set  of  people  to  whom  preserved  Eggs 
are  a  matter  of  necessity,  not  luxury.  Now  there  exists  a 
tribe  of  men,  British  subjects,  whose  daily  food,  whose  staff  of 
life,  is  Fowls  and  Eggs — both  preserved  during  great  part  of 
the  year.  In  maps  of  the  Ancient  World,  the  orbis  veteribus 
notus,  w"e  see  nations  marked  down  as  Ichthyophagi,  Fish- 
eaters,  Lotophagi,  Lotus-eaters;  and  a  new  race,  peculiar  to 
the  present  day,  appears  to  be  springing  up,  the  Mycophagi,  or 
Fungus-eaters,  who  will  be  wise  if  they  listen  to  the  warnings 
of  Dr.  Lindley.  Had  the  people  of  St.  Kilda  been  known  in 
those  days,  they  would  have  been  styled  Ornithophagi,  Bird- 
eaters,  and  Oophagi,  Egg-eaters.  Instead  of  their  keeping 
Fowls,  the  Fowls  keep  them.  Martin,  in  his  voyage  to  the 
Island  of  St.  Kilda,  (London  MDCXCVIII.)  says,  "  I  remember 
the  allowance  of  each  Man  per  diem,  besides  a  Barley  Cake,  was 
eighteen  of  the  Eggs  laid  by  the  Fowl  called  by  them  Lavy* 
and  a  greater  number  of  the  lesser  Eggs,  as  they  differ  in  pro- 
portion ;  the  largest  of  these  Eggs  is  near  in  bigness  to  that  of 
a  Goose,  the  rest  of  the  Eggs  gradually  of  a  lesser  Size.  We 
had  the  curiosity,  after  Three  Weeks'  residence,  to  make  a  Cal- 
cule  of  the  number  of  Eggs  bestowed  upon  those  of  our  Boat, 


*  Subsequently  he  says,  "  The  Lavy,  so  called  by  the  inhabitants 
of  St.  Kilda  ;  by  the  Welch,  a  Guillem  ;  it  comes  near  to  the  bigness 
of  a  Duck;  its  head,  upper-side  of  the  Neck  all  downwards,  of  a 
dark-Brown,  and  White  Breast,  the  Bill  strait  and  sharp  pointed ; 
the  upper  Chop  hangs  over  the  lower  ;  its  Feet  and  Claws  are  Black." 


110       EGGS!  THEIR  PRESERVATION 

food  will  keep  a  certain  quantity  of  Hens  in  health,  without 
being  sufficient  to  cause  them  to  lay.  Increase  the  quantity  of 
food,  or  decrease  the  number  of  Hens,  and  you  have  a  super- 
abundance, which  produces  Eggs.  But  as  the  rejected  scraps 
of  every  family,  and  the  refuse  odds  and  ends  of  every  farming 
premises,  are  tolerably  steady  in  their  amount,  taking  one 
month  with  another,  it  is  better  to  have  a  small  number  of 
Hens,  leaving  them  to  forage  from  the  supply  which  is  con- 
stantly open  to  them,  than  to  trust  to  extra  hand-feeding,  which 
may  be  often  neglected  or  shortened. 

A  warm  and  dry  night's  lodging  is  good,  but  not  so  confine- 
ment during  the  day,  even  in  the  best  of  poultry-houses.  The 
Hens  will  always  keep  themselves  out  of  the  wet,  and  no  care 
can  compensate  for  the  exercise  and  variety  of  food  afforded 
them  by  a  state  of  liberty. 

There  is  nothing  so  instructive  as  a  case,  whether  in  law, 
physic,  or  poultry-keeping.  During  the  hard  winter  of  '46-'47, 
our  own  Hens  not  laying,  we  obtained  a  plentiful  supply  fresh 
laid  from  a  neighbouring  farm.  The  Hens  were  common  dung- 
hill mongrels,  the  accommodation  for  them  not  so  good  as  our 
own.  But  the  Eggs  were  the  perquisite  of  the  farmer's  wife; — 
her  pin-money  by  a  mutual  understanding — while  the  corn 
went  into  the  pocket  of  the  farmer.  The  lady  consequently 
permitted  her  pullets,  without  the  least  remonstrance,  to  make 
a  large  hole  in  a  barley-stack,  pull  out  the  straws  one  by  one, 
and,  when  they  had  tasted  an  ear,  if  they  did  not  approve  its 
flavour,  try  another.  Whether  the  man  grumbled,  and  the  wife 
pouted  and  carried  her  point,  is  not  for  us  to  tell,  if  we 
knew.  It  is  certain  that  the  price  we  were  charged  for  the 
Eggs  did  not  pay  for  the  damage  done  by  their  production. 

A  paragraph  from  the  Perth  Courier  ran  the  round  of  the 
papers,  and  obtained  considerable  attention  at  the  time  (Dec., 
1847)  from  inexperienced  poultry-keepers  : — "  Hens  will  lay 
Eggs  perpetually,  if  treated  in  the  following  manner.  Keep 


FOR  CULINARY  PURPOSES.        Ill 

no  Roosters" — what  an  elegant  word  ! — "  give  the  Hens  fresh 
meat,  chopped  up  like  sausage-meat,  once  a  day,  a  very  small 
portion,  say  half  an  ounce  a  day  to  each  Hen  during  the  win- 
ter, or  from  the  time  insects  disappear  in  the  fall,  till  they  ap- 
pear again  in  spring.  Never  allow  any  Eggs  to  remain  in  the 
nest  for  what  is  called  Nest-eggs.  When  the  Roosters  do  not 
run  with  the  Hens,  and  no  Nest-eggs  are  left  in  the  nest,  the 
Hens  will  not  cease  laying  after  the  production  of  twelve  or 
fifteen  Eggs,  as  they  always  do  when  Roosters  and  Nest-eggs 
are  allowed,  but  continue  laying  perpetually.  My  Hens  lay 
all  winter,  and  each  from  seventy  to  one  hundred  Eggs  in  suc- 
cession. If  the  above  plan  were  generally  followed,  Eggs  would 
be  just  as  plentiful  in  winter  as  in  summer.  The  only  reason 
why  Hens  do  not  lay  in  winter  as  freely  as  in  summer,  is  the 
want  of  animal  food,  which  they  get  in  summer  in  the  form  of 
insects.  I  have  for  several  winters  reduced  my  theory  into 
practice,  and  proved  its  entire  correctness." 

No  allowance  is  here  made  for  the  different  laying  and  in- 
cubating capabilities  of  different  breeds  of  Fowls;  and  the 
reader  will  be  wise  in  hesitating  before  he  consents  to  banish 
Cocks  from  his  poultry-yard  and  Nest-eggs  from  his  hen-house. 
The  act  of  laying  is  not  voluntary  on  the  part  of  a  Hen,  but 
is  dependent  upon  her  age,  constitution,  and  diet.  If  she  be 
young,  healthy,  and  well-fed,  lay  she  must;  if  she  be  aged 
and  half-starved,  lay  she  cannot.  All  that  is  left  to  her  own 
choice  is,  where  she  shall  deposit  her  Egg,  and  she  is  some- 
times so  completely  taken  by  surprise,  as  not  to  have  her  own 
way  even  in  that.  The  poultry-keeper,  therefore,  has  only  to 
decide  which  is  the  more  convenient ;  that  his  Hens  should 
lay  here  and  there,  as  it  may  happen,  about  his  premises,  or  in 
certain  determinate  places,  indicated  to  the  Hens  by  Nest-eggs. 
It  is  quite  a  mistake  to  suppose  that  the  presence  of  a  Nest- 
egg  causes  a  Hen  to  sit  earlier  than  she  otherwise  would.  The 
sight  of  twenty  Nest-eggs  will  not  bring  on  the  hatching  fever ; 


112  EGGS!     THEIR     PRESERVATION 

and  when  it  does  come,  the  Hen  will  take  to  the  empty  nest, 
if  there  be  nothing  else  for  her  to  incubate.  Any  one  whose 
Hens  have  from  accident  been  deprived  of  a  male  companion, 
will  agree  with  me  in  saying  that  they  have  not  done  so  well 
till  the  loss  has  been  supplied.  During  the  interregnum,  mat- 
ters get  all  wrong.  There  is  nobody  to  stop  their  mutual  bick- 
erings, and  inspire  an  emulation  to  please  and  be  pleased.  The 
poor  deserted  creatures  wander  about  dispirited,  like  soldiers 
without  a  general.  It  belongs  to  their  very  nature  to  be  con- 
trolled and  marshalled  by  one  of  the  stronger  sex,  who  is  a 
kind,  though  a  strict  master,  and  a  considerate,  though  stern 
disciplinarian.  It  does  not  appear  what  should  make  Hens 
lay  better  under  such  forlorn  circumstances  as  are  recommended 
in  the  Perth  paragraph.  They  will  sit  just  the  same,  when  the 
fit  seizes  them,  and  so  will  Ducks ;  as  may  be  seen  amongst 
those  cottagers  who,  to  save  the  expense  of  barley,  keep  two 
or  three  Hens  or  Ducks  only,  and  procure  from  a  neighbour  a 
sitting  of  Eggs,  as  they  want  them.  It  has  been  stated  by 
Reaumur,  who  is  a  high  authority,  that  clear  or  unfertile  Eggs 
will  keep  good  longer  than  those  that  would  be  productive ; 
but  it  is  doubtful  whether  the  difference  is  so  great  as  to  make 
it  worth  while  keeping  the  Hens  in  a  melancholy  widowhood 
on  this  account.  The  most  natural  and  least  troublesome  way 
of  having  a  winter  supply  of  Eggs,  is  to  procure  pullets  hatched 
early  in  the  previous  spring,  and  to  give  them  all  they  can  eat 
of  the  best  barley,  or,  if  expense  be  disregarded,  of  the  finest 
wheat.  But  all  people  are  not  so  nice  about  their  Eggs,  par- 
ticularly during  a  long  sea-voyage.*  For  example,  "  It  was 
upon  one  of  the  islands  that  I  went  on  shore,  and  I  found  there 
such  a  number  of  birds,  that  when  they  rose  they  literally 


*  "  Much  depends  on  taste  in  matters  of  this  sort ;  and  we  once 
had  a  Londoner  on  a  visit,  who  '  heaved  the  gorge '  at  the  milk  of 
new-laid  Eggs,  but  ate  Scotch  Eggs  with  much  satisfaction." — J.  S.  W. 


FOR  CULINARY  PURPOSES.         113 

darkened  the  sky,  and  we  could  not  walk  a  step  without  tread- 
ing upon  their  Eggs.  As  they  kept  hovering  over  our  heads 
at  a  little  distance,  the  men  knocked  many  of  them  down  with 
stones  and  sticks,  and  carried  off  several  hundreds  of  their 
Eggs.  After  sbme  time  I  left  the  island  and  landed  upon 
the  main,  where  our  men  dressed  and  eat  their  Eggs,  though 
there  were  young  birds  in  most  of  them  " — Commodore  £yronfs 
Voyage  round  the  World. 


114 


CHAPTER  V. 

EGGS  I    THEIR   PRESERVATION   FOR   INCUBATION. 

BEFORE  quoting  Mr.  Dixon  in  continuation  of  this  subject, 
I  will  briefly  mention  the  method  of  preservation  I  have  used 
for  some  time  with  great  success.  I  put  the  Eggs  on  their 
points  in  a  box  in  a  cool  dry  place;  the  temperature  about 
60°  or  65°.  I  cover  the  bottom  of  the  box  with  wheat  branj 
then  put  in  a  layer  of  Eggs,  and  cover  them  with  bran  also, 
and  so  on  while  filling  the  box.  The  Eggs  are  kept  dry,  coolj 
and,  being  covered,  the  evaporation  of  their  contents  is  ef- 
fectually prevented;  at  the  end  of  six  weeks,  or  even  two 
months,  the  Eggs  are  as  full  as  when  they  were  laid,  and 
almost  as  certain  to  hatch  out. 

"Eggs  for  hatching,"  says  Mr.  Dixon,  should  be  as  fresh 
as  possible;  if  laid  the  very  same  day,  so  much  the  better. 
This  is  not  always  possible  when  a  particular  stock  is  required 
to  be  increased;  but  if  a  numerous  and  healthy  brood  is  all 
that  is  wanted,  the  most  recent  Eggs  should  be  selected. 
Some  books  tell  us  that  Eggs  to  be  hatched  should  not  be 
more  than  a  fortnight,  others  say  not  more  than  a  month  old. 
It  is  difficult  to  fix  the  exact  term  during  which  the  vitality 
of  an  Egg  remains  unextinguished;  it  undoubtedly  varies 
from  the  very  first  according  to  the  vigour  of  the  parents  of 
the  inclosed  germ,  and  fades  away  gradually  till  the  final 
moment  of  non-existence.  But  long  before  that  moment,  the 


FOR     INCUBATION.  115 

principle  of  life  becomes  so  feeble  as  to  be  almost  unavailable 
for  practical  purposes.  The  chicks  in  stale  Eggs  have  not 
sufficient  strength  to  extricate  themselves  from  the  shell;  if 
assisted,  the  yolk  is  found  to  be  only  partially  absorbed  into 
the  abdomen,  or  not  at  all;  they  are  too  faint  to  stand,  the 
muscles  of  the  neck  are  unable  to  lift  their  heads,  much  less 
to  peck;  and  although  they  may  sometimes  be  saved  by 
extreme  care,  their  usual  fate  is  to  be  trampled  to  death  by 
their  mother,  if  they  do  not  expire  almost  as  soon  as  they 
begin  to  draw  their  breath.  Thick-shelled  Eggs,  like  those 
of  Greese,  Guinea-fowl,  &c.,  will  retain  life  longer  than  thin- 
shelled  ones,  as  those  of  Hens  and  Ducks.  Those  who  are 
anxious  to  secure  a  valuable  variety,  one  chicken  of  which  is 
worth  a  whole  brood  of  ordinary  sorts,  will  run  all  risks; 
after  seven  or  eight  weeks  their  chance  is  not  utterly  gone. 
Some  of  the  chicks  will  be  found  dead  in  the  shell,  but  those 
that  are  hatched,  if  they  survive  the  first  eight-and-forty  hours 
— the  great  difficulty — are  not  afterwards  more  weakly  or 
troublesome  than  others.  In  the  mean  while,  air  should  be 
excluded  from  the  Egg  as  much  as  possible :  it  is  best  to  set 
them  on  end,  and  not  to  suffer  them  to  lie  and  roll  on  the 
side.  Dry  sand  or  hard-wood  sawdust  (not  deal,  on  account 
of  the  turpentine)  is  the  best  packing.  But  when  choice  Eggs 
are  expected,  it  is  more  prudent  to  have  a  Hen  waiting  for 
them  than  to  let  them  wait  for  her.  A  good  sitter  may  be 
amused  for  two  or  three  weeks  with  a  few  addle-eggs,  and  so 
be  ready  to  take  charge  of  those  of  value  immediately  upon 
their  arrival. 

Eggs  sent  any  distance  to  be  hatched,  should  be  tightly 
inclosed  in  a  wooden  box,  and  arranged  so  as  neither  to  touch 
each  other,  nor  the  sides  of  the  box.  An  oyster-barrel  answers 
excellently  for  a  small  number.  Mr.  Cantelo,  in  his  pamphlet, 
has  recommended  oats  as  a  packing,  and  no  doubt  they  form 
an  excellent  vehicle,  taking  little  time  to  pack,  filling  all  inter- 


116  EGGS:   THEIR   PRESERVATION 

slices,  and  moreover  being  useful  at  the  journey's  end.  The 
Eggs  should  be  shaken  as  little  as  possible,  for  fear  of  rupturing 
the  ligaments  by  which  the  yolk  is  "suspended  in  the  centre  of 
the  Egg,  and  mixing  the  two  strata  of  albumen  surrounding 
it  and  letting  the  yolk  loose.  Nor  should  they  be  suffered  to 
come  in  contact  with  any  greasy  substance  that  would  close 
the  pores  of  the  shell,  so  as  to  exclude  air  from  the  chick. 
But  my  own  experience  of  Eggs  for  hatching  received  from 
any  long  distance,  is  so  utterly  discouraging,  as  to  forbid  all 
future  attempts,  unless  the  parcel  can  be  carefully  brought  by 
hand.  However  well  packed,  they  get  so  recklessly  knocked 
about  by  the  superabundant  strength  and  activity  of  the  rail- 
way porters,  who  would  handle  a  box  of  Eggs  and  a  box  of  ten- 
penny  nails  exactly  in  the  same  manner,  that,  at  the  end  of  a 
couple  of  hundred  miles,  and  after  shifting  carriages  three  or 
four  times,  the  germs  of  the  Eggs  are  as  completely  destroyed 
by  the  concussion,  as  if  they  had  been  baked  or  boiled  into 
custards.  Mr.  Cantelo  advises,  ''should  any  valuable  or  rare 
Egg  have  a  defect  in  the  shell,  it  may  be  worth  while  to  gum 
a  piece  of  paper  over  the  part  affected,  as  it  is  through  the 
extra-evaporation  that  it  would  otherwise  fail  in  hatching." 
The  following  case,  which  has  been  communicated  to  me,  is  a 
practical  commentary.  "A  Duck's  egg  was  broken  at  the 
small  end  by  a  careless  Hen  when  within  a  week  of  hatching. 
Perceiving  that  the  inhabitant  within  was  a  fine  lively  fellow, 
I  closed  it ,  over  well  with  wax,  and  returned  it  to  the  nest. 
At  the  proper  time  the  duckling  came  out  lively  enough,  and 
proved  the  best  of  the  brood."  The  same  gentleman  (H.  H.) 
experienced  another  curious  instance  of  difficulty  in  hatching. 
"  A  young  pigeon  was  unable,  for  reasons  best  known  to  him- 
self, to  get  more  than  his  head  and  shoulders  out  of  the  egg. 
In  this  state  he  remained  for  days,  the  parts  not  growing,  and 
the  old  birds  still  feeding  him !  I  released  him  afterwards, 
but  he  did  not  do  nearly  so  well  then,  and  soon  died." 


FOR     INCUBATION.  117 

"  After  a  Hen  has  sat  a  week,  if  you  have  a  thin  board  with 
a  small  orifice  in  it,  place  a  candle  at  the  back,  and  hold  up 
each  Egg  to  the  point  of  light  ;  you  will  see  at  once  whether 
the  Eggs  are  fertile,  when  of  course  the  others  may  be  removed, 
and  made  use  of  hard  boiled  for  young  chickens.  This  hint 
I  got  from  Mr.  Cantelo's  Exhibition,  where  the  number  of 
Eggs  made  it  a  great  desideratum  :  but,  in  any  case,  it  is  much 
better  to  remove  the  bad  Eggs."  —  W.  D.  F. 

Now  we  are  on  the  subject  of  hatching,  we  may  as  well  refer 
to  the  perplexity  to  which  Poultry-keepers  are  sometimes  sub- 
jected, when  Hens  will  sit,  at  seasons  of  the  year  at  which 
there  is  little  chance  of  bringing  up  Chickens.  Some  advise 
the  Hen  to  be  soaked  in  a  pail  of  water  cold  from  the  pump  : 
but  if  they  have  a  mind  to  kill  her,  it  is  more  cruel  to  do  so 
by  giving  her  fever  and  inflammation  of  the  lungs,  than  by 
simply  knocking  her  on  the  head.  A  less  objectionable 
remedy,  communicated  by  a  gentleman  who  is  not  likely  to 
speak  unadvisedly,  is  the  following,  of  which,  however,  I  have 
no  personal  experience.  "I  have  known  one  or  two  doses  of 
jalap  relieve  them  entirely  from  a  desire  to  sit;  and,  in  my 
opinion,  it  is  far  better  than  the  cold-water  cure.  I  have 
known  English  Fowls  lay  in  three  weeks  afterwards."  But 
why  not  let  the*poor  creatures  obey  their  natural  propensity  ? 
Or,  surely,  some  neighbour  would  gladly  exchange  a  laying 
Hen  for  one  that  wanted  to  sit.  Others,  borrowing  an  ancient 
piece  of  barbarism,*  recommend  a  large  feather  to  be  thrust 
through  her  nostrils;  that  she  may  rush  here  and  there  in 
terror,  and  give  up  all  thoughts  of  sitting.  The  person  who 


*  "The  inclination  to  hatch  is  prevented  by  thrusting  a  small 
feather  through  the  nostrils."  Columella,  lib.  viii.,  cap.  5.  Pliny 
more  humanely  prescribes  the  same  operation  as  a  cure  for  the  roup, 
"  pituita."  "A  feather  thrust  through  the  nostrils,  and  moved  every 
day  :"  a  seton,  in  fact.  Lib.  x.,  c.  78. 


118  EGGS:   THEIR   PRESERVATION 

would  be  capable  of  such  cruelty,  would  properly  walk  arm- 
in-arm  with  the  man  who  had  tied  a  tin-kettle  to  his  dog's 
tail.  The  wisest  way  is  to  guide,  instead  of  thwarting,  the 
impulses  of  nature.  Let  your  good  Hen  indulge  the  instinct 
implanted  in  her  by  a  wiser  Being  than  you :  give  her  a  sitting 
of  Duck's  or  Goose's  Eggs,  and,  unless  the  winter  be  extra- 
ordinarily severe,  you  must  be  a  bungler  if  you  do  not  rear 
them  by  the  aid  of  bread-crumbs,  barley-meal,  and  a  kitchen 
fire.  The  autumnal  laying  of  the  China,  and  also  of  the  Com- 
mon Goose,  is  very  valuable  for  the  purpose.  It  need  only 
be  remembered  that  too  much  confinement  will  give  your 
Goslings  the  cramp.  But  it  is  better  to  take  a  little  pains, 
than  to  be  guilty  of  the  above-mentioned  cruelties,  or  to  let 
the  poor  creature  spend  her  vivifying  energies  on  an  empty 
nest.  Turkey-hens  frequently  have  this  late  fit  of  incubation, 
and  on  the  Continent  are  much  more  used  as  general  hatchers 
than  they  are  with  us.  One,  which  had  been  supplied  with 
Duck's  Eggs,  hatched  fifteen.  As  soon  as  she  found  out  what 
sort  of  beings  she  had  introduced  into  the  world,  she  glanced 
at  them  a  look  of  that  ineffable  scorn,  which  a  Turkey's  eye 
can  so  well  express,  strutted  slowly  away,  and  never  would 
notice  them  more.  The  Ducklings,  however,  were  reared  in 
spite  of  her  airs;"  the  fire-side  and  their  own  innate  vigour  sus- 
taining them  under  the  excusable  neglect  of  their  haughty 
foster-mother.  One  of  mine  chose  to  sit  on  some  of  her  own 
Eggs  in  the  middle  of  a  turnip  field  at  the  end  of  October, 
1847.  This  would  never  do;  so  we  brought  her  home,  and 
set  her  upon  seven  Eggs  of  the  Common  Goose  in  a  warm 
out-house.  She  hatched  six  birds,  one  of  which  was  killed  by 
accident.  The  remaining  five  she  reared  with  the  greatest 
affection.  A  little  ordinary  care,  with  a  liberal  supply  of 
endive,  cabbage-leaves,  and  other  garden  refuse,  and,  in  time 
also,  of  baney,  thus  furnished  us  with  a  welcome  lot  of  early 
Geese. 


FOR     INCUBATION.  119 

However  it  is  sometimes  inconvenient  for  townspeople  to 
have  Hens  wanting  to  sit  unseasonably.  Mr.  Bissell  says,  "I 
have  been  sadly  troubled  in  this  way,  and  have  tried  almost 
every  known  method  of  getting  them  to  forsake  their  nests, 
when  I  have  not  wanted  them  to  sit,  but  without  the  least 
effect,  until  about  two  years  ago  I  tried  the  simple  plan  of 
placing  them  in  an  aviary  for  about  four  or  five  days  at  most, 
and,  feeding  them  but  sparingly,  when  they  will,  from  the 
commencement  of  their  confinement,  gradually  leave  off  cluck- 
ing, and  when  they  have  done  so,  you  may  again  set  them  free 
without  the  least  fear  of  their  wishing  to  take  to  the  nest  again; 
and,  besides  getting  rid  of  a  great  deal  of  trouble  with  them, 
they  will  in  a  very  short  time  commence  laying  again  with 
renewed  vigour."  Keeping  a  Hen  out  in  a  coop  on  the  cool 
grass  for  three  or  four  days  and  nights  has  a  similar  tendency 
to  abate  the  hatching  fever. 

One  of  the  most  extraordinary  feats  of  hatching  on  record, 
is  that  performed  by  Pliny's  Syracusan  drunkard,  under  whom, 
as  he  lay  enjoying  himself  on  the  ground,  some  Sicilian  wag 
slipped  a  sitting  of  Eggs,  which  at  the  proper  time  became 
Chickens ! 

Monstrous  and  misshapen  Eggs  are  not  uncommon.  They 
are  to  be  seen  in  most  collections;  and  an  Oologist  of  ordinary 
experience  would  be  less  puzzled  by  them,  than  by  unex- 
pectedly meeting  with  the  Egg  of  a  tortoise.  They  have 
given  rise  to  several  absurd  opinions,  the  oldest  of  which  is  a 
belief  in  "Cock's  eggs/'  abortions  of  very  small  size,  some- 
times properly  shaped,  sometimes  shperical,  and  sometimes 
contracted  in  the  middle  like  an  hour-glass,  with  a  thick  shell 
and  little  or  no  yolk.  We  had  a  Hen  that  laid  one  every  day, 
till  we  put  a  stop  to  the  practice  by  eating  her.  Similar 
lusus  have  also  been  produced  by  the  thrush,  the  linnet,  the 
robin,  and  the  plover.  Country-people  think  t(  Cock's  eggs" 
unlucky,  and  commonly  destroy  them  when  they  find  them; 


120  EGGS:   THEIR  PRESERVATION 

the  effectual  way  to  have  better  luck  with  Eggs  would  be  to 
destroy  the  "Cock"  that  lays  such  unmarketable  articles. 
Diseased  ovaries  are  the  undoubted  cause,  followed  frequently 
by  the  assumption  of  the  manners,  and  even  of  the  plumage 
of  the  male.  Such  a  change  gives  plausibility  to  the  popular 
notion  of  Cocks  laying  Eggs,  which  is  not  yet  exploded  among 
the  rustics.  Whether  it  was  an  old  form  of  speech  or  grounded 
on  any  vague  belief  of  the  sort,  Martin,  before  quoted,  speaking 
of  the  number  of  Eggs  laid  by  the  Fulmar,  uses  the  masculine 
gender  throughout;  thus,  "he  picks  his  Food  out  of  the  Back 
of  live  Whales;  they  say  he  uses  Sorrel  with  it,  for  both  are 
found  in  his  Nest;  he  lays  his  Egg  ordinarily  the  First, 
Second,  or  Third  day  of  May;  which  is  larger  than  that  of  a 
Solan  Goose  Egg,  of  a  White  Colour  and  very  Thin,  the  shell 
so  very  tender  that  it  breaks  in  pieces  if  the  Season  proves 
Rainy;  when  his  Egg  is  once  taken  away,  he  lays  no  more 
for  that  year,  as  other  fowls  do,"  &c.,  p.  55. 

In  the  days  of  ignorance,  people  were  now  and  then  thrown 
into  consternation  by  the  appearance  of  Eggs  marked  with 
inscriptions  or  symbols,  in  relief,  or  intaglio.  But  the  evi- 
dence of  their  having  been  laid  in  that  state  is  so  utterly 
wanting,  and  the  chemical  means  of  fabricating  them  so  simple, 
that  it  is  needless  in  these  times  to  enter  further  into  the 
matter.  Shell-less  Eggs  may  be  attributed,  partly,  to  the 
want  of  a  sufficiency  of  phosphate  of  lime  in  the  food  of  the 
Hens,  and  sometimes  to  over-irritability  in  the  Egg-organs, 
analogous  to  that  which,  in  the  Mammalia,  causes  abortion. 

Another  strange,  but  unsupported  belief,  or  dream,  which 
I  must  think  originated  in  a  joke,  or  cram,  from  which  impu- 
tation the  weight  of  Aristotle's  authority  does  not  relieve  it,* 

*  "Some  domestic  Hens,  also,  bring  forth  twice  in  the  day;  and 
some,  after  having  been  very  prolific,  have  died  in  consequence;" — 
History  of  Animals,  Book  vi.,  c.  1, — as  they  do  now.  "I  am  very 


FOR     INCUBATION.  121 

in  the  notion  that  there  are  Hens  in  existence  that  habitually 
lay  more  than  one  egg  a  day.  One  author  says,  there  are 
Hens  wild  in  Sumatra  that  lay  three  Eggs  in  a  day;  but  he 
omits  to  state  who  watched  these  wild  Hens  to  and  from  their 
nests.  Another  (Richardson)  describing  the  Cochin  China 
fowl  (2d  Edition,  p.  38)  says,  "they  are  prolific  Hens;  Mr. 
Nolan's  frequently  laying  two,  and,  occasionally,  three  Eggs 
on  the  same  day,  and  within  a  few  moments  of  each  other." 
The  statement  is  confirmed  by  Irish  Arithmetic.  "One  of 
the  Hens/'  he  continues,  "Bessy,  exhibited  by  her  Majesty, 
laid  ninety -four  Eggs  in  one  hundred  and  threo  days," — not 
quite  three  Eggs  a  day,  according  to  our  "  calcule."  But  if  this 
be  a  fact,  there  is  no  limit  to  the  improvement  of  which  these 
double-barrelled  Hens  are  capable,  till,  by  the  aid  of  forcing 
and  extra  diet,  they  become,  like  Mr.  Perkins's  steam  gun, 
able  to  discharge  Eggs  at  the  rate  of  several  dozens  in  a  minute. 
Seriously,  it  is  quite  true  that  the  Hen,  like  other  creatures 
that  usually  produce  but  one  at  a  birth,  has  an  occasional 
tendency  to  produce  twins;  but  I  believe  it  will  be  found  that 
such  twins  hitherto  observed,  have  been  united  in  one  shell,  and 
not  produced  separately.  Double-yolked  Eggs  are  well  known 
to  cooks,  and  to  farmers'  wives.  Some  with  triple  yolks  occur 
now  and  then,  but  rarely.  Twin  chickens  may  have  rarely 
proceeded  from  one  Egg.  The  classic  fable  of  Castor  and 
Pollux  looks  like  some  such  experience  among  the  ancients; 
but  those  Eggs,  being  oversized,  are  usually  reject**!  for  hatch- 
ing, and  I  remember  no  really  authenticated  instance  of  the 
kind,  unless  the  reader  be  good-naturedly  disposed  to  accept 

averse  to  any  means  being  used  to  force  Hens  to  lay,  (such  as  min- 
gling cayenne-pepper,  &c.,  with  their  food,)  as  it  induces  premature 
decrepitude.  I  am  continually  finding  Fowls  suffering  from  dropsy, 
which  I  attribute  to  this  cause.  I  have  taken  from  a  Hen  two  bags 
of  clear  water  containing  a  quarter  of  a  pint,  and  dissection  proved 
their  connection  with  the  ovarian  system." — John  Bailey. 

II 


122  EGGS:   THEIR   PRESERVATION 

a  case  from  Aristotle  as  such.  However,  his  idea  of  twinning 
in  Hens  evidently  coincides  with  ours,  in  spite  of  his  having 
asserted  that  some  fowls  lay  twice  a  day.  "Double  Eggs, 
however,  have  two  yolks,  which  sometimes,  that  they  may  not 
be  confounded,  are  separated  by  a  thin  interstice  of  the  white; 
and  sometimes  the  two  yolks  are  in  contact  with  each  other 
without  this  interstice.  There  are,  also,  some  Hens  that  bring 
forth  all  their  Eggs  double,  so  that  in  these  also,  the  above- 
mentioned  circumstance  happens  respecting  the  yolk.  For  a 
certain  Hen  having  brought  forth  eighteen  double  Eggs,  dis- 
closed a  chicken  from  each,  those  Eggs  excepted  which  were 
unprolific.  Two  chickens  also  were  disclo'sed  from  each  of  the 
double  Eggs,  but  one  of  the  chickens  was  larger  than  the 
other.  But  the  last  chicken  that  was  disclosed  was  a  monster/' 
— History  of  Animals,  book  vi.,  chap.  iii. — Taylor's  Translation. 
The  following  is  a  plausible,  but  by  no  means  a  convincing 
case.  "At  Monklaw,  near  Jedburgh,  there  "was  a  Duck  which 
laid  two  Eggs  in  a  day.  The  fact  was  proved  by  locking  the 
bird  up,  when  one  egg  was  found  early  in  the  morning  and 
another  in  the  evening.  This  remarkable  Duck  was  killed 
by  a  servant  ignorant  of  its  virtues." — Note  to  Whites  Natural 
History  of  Setbourne,  Captain  Brown's  Edition,  p.  291.  Now  • 
Mowbray  says,  "  the  Duck  generally  lays  by  night,  or  early 
in  the  morning,  seldom  after  ten  o'clock,  with  the  exception 
of  chilling  and  comfortless  weather,  when  she  will  occasionally 
.retain  her  Egg  until  mid-day  or  the  afternoon."  Suppose 
then  that  the  confined  Duck,  exercising  her  power  of  retaining 
her  Egg  (a  faculty  often  obstinately  used  by  the  Turkey-hen, 
if  it  be  desired  to  make  her  lay  in  other  places  than  she 
chooses) — suppose  the  Duck  had  laid  one,  say  at  two  in  the 
morning,  and  another  at  ten  in  the  evening  of  the  same  day, 
that  could  scarcely  be  called  Claying  two  Eggs  a  day,"  unless 
the  confinement  had  continued,  and  the  same  productiveness 
been  manifested  for  several  days  in  succession.  It  is  here 


FOR     INCUBATION.  123 

that  jproof  of  the  Tidbit  fails.*  Now  in  regard  to  the  other 
mode  of  twinning,  the  same  Editor  quotes  a  correspondent  in 
London's  Magazine  of  Natural  History,  who  says,  "I  have 
lately  seen  a  preternaturally  large,  but  perfect  Goose's  Egg, 
containing  a  smaller  one  within  it ;  the  inner  one  possessing 
its  proper  calcareous  shell''  This  is  certainly  a  very  singular 
production.  "  We  have  frequently  known  shells  to  have  two 
yolks,  but  this  is  the  only  instance  we  have  met  with  of  one 

*  The  subjoined  statement  is  from  a  friend  on  whose  strict  veracity 
I  can  quite  rely.  "In  the  summer  of  1849,  I  had  a  Cock  and  Hen 
Malay.  I  kept  them  in  a  house  with  a  little  yard  attached  to  it, 
and  am  certain  that  no  other  Fowls  could  get  to  them,  as  the  whole 
was  netted  over.  I  have  no  other  prodigy  to  tell  of  this  Hen  (which 
was  a  bad  layer  before  the  occurrence,  and  not  a  layer  at  all  since 
it)  but  that  she  layed  four  Eggs  within  forty-eight  hours.  Thus : 
on  Thursday  evening  at  six  o'clock  there  were  no  Eggs  ;  the  next 
morning  there  were  two  ;  on  Saturday  morning  there  was  one  more; 
and  on  Saturday  evening  before  six  o'clock  another  Egg  was  layed. 
Now  this  was  laying  four  Eggs  certainly  within  forty-eight  hours, 
but  it  may  have  been  within  a  still  shorter  space  of  time.  I  could 
not  be  mistaken  respecting  the  Eggs,  because  I  then  had  only  two 
mongrel  Hens,  which  layed  very  taper  Eggs,  and  some  S.  Hamburg 
Hens,  which  layed  purely  white  Eggs,  whereas  the  Malay  layed  very 
large  and  yellow  ones ;  her  Eggs  were  likewise  of  a  peculiar  shape, 
all  of  them  having  a  small  indenture  or  mark  round  them  just  about 
the  middle.  If  all  the  Hens  had  been  kept  together  in  one  poultry- 
yard,  I  should  have  had  no  more  doubt  as  to  which  laid  the  Eggs  in 
question,  than  I  have  now.  I  have  told  perhaps  half-a-dozen  people 
of  the  circumstance,  but  have  reason  to  think  that  nobody  believed 
me ;  and  this,  added  to  the  opinions  expressed  in  your  book,  would 
certainly  have  prevented  me  from  sending  you  the  above  account, 
but  that  I  am  perfectly  convinced  of  its  correctness.  I  kept  the  Hen 
for  three  months  after  this  occurred,  and  fed  her  upon  corn,  green 
food,  with  meal  now  and  then,  but  she  never  laid  another  Egg  whilst 
I  had  her." — G.  P.  S.  I  can  only  suppose  this  to  be  a  case  of  re- 
tention of  the  Egg  from  disease,  or  other  cause,  and  is  quite  the 
contrary  to  being  an  instance  of  unusual  fecundity. 


124  EGGS:    THEIR   PRESERVATION 

Egg  containing  another  entire  one  within  it."  Other  in- 
stances, however,  are  known.  A  gentleman  in  my  neighbour- 
hood possesses  one,  if  not  two  Hen's  Eggs,  each  of  which 
contains  within  itself  another  smaller  Egg  with  a  perfect  and 
complete  shell;  confirming  the  statement  that  twins,  in  the 
case  of  Eggs,  are  enclosed  in  one  common  envelope,  and  not 
produced  one  immediately  after  the  other,  as  in  mammalia. 

Mr.  Alfred  Whitaker  says,  "I  find  no  room  for  criticism 
in  your  manuscript.  Every  fact  asserted  is  borne  out  by  my 
own  experience,  with  the  exception  that  I  never  saw  an  in- 
stance of  one  Egg  containing  another  entire  Egg  within  it. 
Double  Eggs  I  have  frequently  seen.  Their  size,  and  fre- 
quently a  sort  of  suture  across  and  around  the  centre  of  the 
Egg,  sufficiently  indicate  their  twin  nature.  Many  years  ago 
(in  my  boyhood)  I  placed  one  of  these  double  Eggs  among  a 
sitting  of  Eggs  under  a  Hen.  Two  live  chickens  were  brought 
up  to  the  hatching  point,  but  that  labour  appeared  to  be  too 
much  for  their  somewhat  divided  strength,  and  they  were  not 
actually  born  alive.  The  fact,  however,  shows  that  the  Egg 
in  question  was  a  perfect  twin  Egg."  This  is  a  very  remarka- 
ble case,  and  deserved  preservation  in  a  museum. 

"The  umbilical  part  of  Eggs  is  within  them  from  the  top, 
as  it  were  a  drop  projecting  inside  the  shell." — Pliny,  lib.  x., 
c.  74.  This  evidently  has  reference  to  the  air-bubble.  But 
I  am  in  possession  of  an  Egg  of  more  than  ordinary  size,  laid 
by  a  Buenos  Ayres  Duck,  which  has  one  end  enclosed,  termi- 
nating in  a  sort  of  membranous  funnel,  or  a  continuation  of 
the  lining  membrane  of  the  shell,  giving  the  appearance  of  a 
divided,  umbilical  cord.*  An  instance  which  is  not  unique. 
"On  the  day  after  my  return  from  London,  I  was  looking 

*  "  The  stalks  of  Eggs,  whereby  they  grow  to  the  ovarium,  are  not 
solid  after  the  manner  of  the  footstalks  of  fruits,  but  hollow  and 
fistulous."—  Willoughby. 


FOR     INCUBATION.  125 

round  my  farm-yard,  and  found  a  fresh  nest,  in  a  calves'  stage, 
with  one  egg  in  it.  On  taking  it  up,  my  servant  said,  '  Here 
is  something  curious/  and  I  observed  that  the  Egg  was  evi- 
dently double,  and  that  a  small  portion  of  the  large  end  of  the 
shell  was  soft,  and  that,  from  the  centre  of  the  soft  part,  a 
membranous  substance  was  protruding,  looking  like  a  dried- 
up  umbilical  cord.  I  opened  the  egg  carefully,  and  found 
that  this  cord  was  attached  to  an  t)val  sac  within,  of  a  dark 
colour,  filling  half  the  Egg,  and  that  below  this  there  was  a 
perfect  yolk.  I  took  out  this  sac,  with  the  cord  attached  to 
it,  entire,  and  put  it  at  once  into  spirits  of  wine.  My  surgeon, 
who  is  quite  a  naturalist  and  a  very  scientific  man,  was  much 
interested  with  it.  His  impression  was,  that  the  sac  contained 
a  chick,  and  that  incubation  had  been  going  on  in  the  cloaca 
of  the  mother."—^.  W. 

As  a  tail-piece  to  this  chapter,  may  be  mentioned  the  popular 
idea  that  Eggs  are  formed  in  clusters  of  three  in  the  ovary  of 
the  Hen  ;  I  mentioned  this,  per  letter,  to  David  Taggart,  Esq., 
of  Northumberland,  Pa.,  who  is  remarkably  observant  of  every 
thing  connected  with  this  subject,  and  he  very  kindly  and 
promptly  replied  to  my  inquiry  as  follows : — • 

"  It  may  be  that  Eggs  are  formed  in  the  ovary  in  clusters 
of  three,  but  I  am,  very  certain  they  are  not  laid  so.  A  Hen 
is  just  as  apt  to  lay  2,  or  4,  5,  7,  8, 10,  or  11,  in  as  many  days, 
as  3,  6  or  9.  I  will  prove  it,  by  giving  in  figures  the  laying 
of  one  of  my  favourites,  this  season,  up  to  the  time  of  sitting 
and  afterwards.  She  commenced  in  January,  and  this  will 
account  for  the  slow  laying  at  first — 1,  2,  2,  2,  3,  4,  5,  6,  8, 
6,  7,  4,  4,  4,  5,  4,  4,  4,  4,  5,  11,— 102;— and  then  in  this 
fashion  after  giving  up  her  chickens — 2,  3,  7,  5— (to  be  con 
tinued).  And  let  me  add,  she  has  never  missed  two  successive 
days.  You  will  wonder  at  the  minuteness  of  my  observations, 
but  they  are  nevertheless  mathematically  correct  and  reliable/' 

11* 


126 


CHAPTER  VI. 

VARIETIES   OF   THE    SHANGHAE   FOWL. 

THE  pure,  thorough-bred  Shanghae  Fowl,  in  its  varieties,  is, 
perhaps,  the  best,  all  things  considered,  of  any  which  we  know. 
The  portraits  opposite  represent  a  Stag,  two  Pullets,  and  a 
Chick,  which  I  bred  last  summer,  and  shipped  to  Henry  Law- 
rence, Esq.,  of  Mobile.  The  Chick  and  Stag  were  unfortu- 
nately lost  on  the  voyage :  their  places  I  subsequently  supplied 
by  others.  The  age  of  the  Stag  and  Pullets,  at  the  time  they 
were  sketched,  was  about  five  months;  the  Stag  had  just  com- 
menced to  crow,  and  weighed  seven  pounds  and  ten  ounces ;  the 
Pullets  had  not  begun  to  lay,  and  weighed  each  five  pounds 
and  a  half,  good ;  the  age  of  the  Chick  was  about  six  weeks. 
The  Stag  and  two  Pullets  are  from  a  paU  of  Fowls,  which  I 
designate  the  "  HUNTRESS"  variety,  as  they  were  brought 
over  in  a  ship  of  that  name,  direct  from  Shanghae,  in  the  spring 
of  1847.  The  father  of  the  Stag  and  Pullets  is  now  in  the 
possession  of  H.  L.  Devereux,  Esq.,  of  Boston.  The  father 
of  the  Chick  was  imported  last  spring  in  the  ship  "  TARTAR" — 
he  is  a  noble  fellow,  and  is  now  in  the  possession  of  E.  K.  Cope, 
Esq.,  of  this  vicinity.  Of  those  imported  in  1847,  per  ship 
"  Huntress,"  the  Hen  was  of  a  bay  or  light  yellowish  colour, 
and  the  Cock  a  yellow  or  reddish  dominique.  About  one-half 
of  the  Stags  from  this  pair  are  in  plumage  like  the  father,  the 
other  half  are  yellow,  or  red,  black  tails,  and  occasionally  black 


THE    SHANGHAE     FOWL.  127 

on  the  breast.     The  Pullets  all  take  after  the  mother,  present- 
ing a  very  uniform  appearance. 

The  following  is  a  sufficiently  minute  and  accurate  descrip- 
tion of  this  variety.  The  Cock,  when  full-grown,  stands  about 
twenty-eight  inches  high,  that  is,  if  he  be  a  good  specimen — 
the  female  about  twenty-two  or  twenty-three  inches.  I  have 
never  seen  a  large  comb  or  heavy  wattles  on  the  Hen,  at  any 
age ;  whereas,  the  comb  of  the  male  is  high,  deeply  indented, 
and  his  wattles  double  and  large.  I  regard,  however,  as  the 
chief  characteristics  of  this  variety,  not  the  comb  and  wattles, 
nor  even  the  reddish-yellow  feathered  leg,  but  the  abundant, 
soft,  and  downy  covering  of  the  thighs,  hips  and  region  of  the 
vent,  together  with  the  remarkably  short  tail  and  large  mound 
of  feathers  piled  over  the  upper  part  of  its  root,  giving  rise  to 
a  considerable  elevation  on  that  part  of  the  rump.  It  should 
be  remarked,  also,  that  the  wings  are  quite  short  and  small  in 
proportion  to  the  size  of  the  Fowl,  and  carried  very  high  up 
the  body,  thus  exposing  the  whole  of  the  thigh,  and  a  consi- 
derable portion  of  the  side.  These  characteristics  are  not  found 
in  the  same  degree  in  any  other  Fowl  of  which  I  have  any 
knowledge.  This  peculiar  arrangement  of  feathers  gives  the 
Shanghae  Fowl  in  appearence,  what  it  has  in  reality,  a  greater 
depth  of  quarter,  in  proportion  to  the  depth  of  brisket,  than  any 
other  Fowl.  As  to  the  legs,  they  are  not  very  peculiar.  The 
colour  is  usually  reddish-white  or  flesh-colour,,  or  reddish-yel- 
low, mostly  covered  down  the  outside,  even  to  the  end  of  the 
toes,  with  feathers.  This  last  is  not  always  the  case.  The 
Stag,  in  the  preceding  illustration,  has  no  feathers  on  his  legs, 
while  the  Pullets,  his  sisters,  are  rather  heavily  feathered.  He 
is,  however,  an  exception  to  the  rule,  so  far,  at  least,  as  his 
particular  family  is  concerned.  But  other  families  of  Shang- 
haes,  equally  pure,  are  but  very  lightly  feathered.  A  gentle- 
man of  my  acquaintance,  Mr.  A.  Newbold,  of  Philadelphia,  re- 
ceived, in  the  spring  of  1847,  from  Captain  Lockwood,  direct 


128  VARIETIES     OF     THE 

from  the  city  of  Shanghae,  a  Cock  and  Hen,  as  pure  as  any 
Shanghaes  I  have  seen;  differing  from  other  importations  only 
in  being  nearly  smooth-legged,  and  not  attaining  to  the  weight 
of  other  specimens.  In  the  second  or  third  generation  there 
was  scarcely  a  feather-legged  Shanghae  on  his  premises. 

The  plumage  of  the  thorough-bred  Shanghae  is  remarkably 
soft  and  silky,  or  rather  downy,  and  is,  in  my  opinion,  equally 
as  good  for  domestic  purposes  as  those  of  the  Groose.  They  are 
certainly  quite  as  fine  and  soft,  if  not  as  abundant. 

The  fertile  qualities  of  this  breed  may  be  inferred  from  what 
has  been  attested  concerning  it.  The  gentleman  from  whom 
I  procured  the  stock  previously  herein  portrayed,  wrote  to  me 
concerning  the  imported  pair,  that,  although  they  had  been  for 
several  months  from  the  ground,  and,  when  they  arrived,  poor 
and  verminous,  yet,  on  turning  them  out  about  the  latter  end 
of  May,  from  that  time  to  the  first  of  the  ensuing  October,  the 
Hen  laid  forty-eight  Eggs  and  hatched  out  two  broods.  The 
last  brood  included  twelve  Chicks,  ten  of  which  he  raised 
through  the  winter,  thus  proving  themselves  able  to  endure 
our  e^er-changing  climate.  I  myself  have  found  the  pure 
Shanghae  to  equal,  if  not  to  excel,  any  other  Fowl  in  laying 
qualities — perhaps,  the  Black  Poland  Fowl  or  the  Creole  may 
lay  a  few  more  Eggs  in  a  year,  in  consequence  of  not  being  so 
frequently  broody,  but  their  Eggs  are  not  so  rich  and  nutri- 
tious. Read  the  testimony  of  Mr.  T.  Ames,  of  Marshfield, 
Mass.  He  says,  "  that  one  of  his  neighbours,  Mr.  Phillips, 
has  a  Pullet  of  this  breed,  which  laid  one  hundred  and  twenty 
Eggs  in  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  days,  then  stopped  six 
days,  then  laid  sixteen  Eggs  more,  and  stopped  four  days,  and 
is  now  laying ;  and  that  he  (Mr.  Ames)  has  one  that  has  done 
equally  well/'  The  Eggs  are  generally  of  a  pale  yellow  or  nan- 
keen colour,  not  remarkably  large  compared  with  the  size  of  the 
Fowl,  and  generally  blunt  at  the  ends.  I  have  known  but  one 
thorough-bred  Hen  that  laid  a  long  Egg,  and  have  never  yet 


SHANGHAE     FOWL.  129 

known  one  to  lay  what  are  called  double  Eggs.  The  comb  is 
generally  single,  though  I  have,  in  some*  specimens,  seen  a 
slight  tendency  to  rose.  I  have  never  seen  one  with  a  top- 
knot. 

The  flesh  of  this  Fowl  is  tender  and  juicy,  unexceptionable 
in  every  respect — in  fact,  a  dish  fit  for  an  Emperor.  In  view, 
then,  of  the  goodly  size  of  the  Shanghae,  weighing,  as  the 
males  do  at  maturity,  from  ten  to  twelve  pounds,  and  the  fe- 
male from  seven  and  a  half  to  eight  and  a  half  pounds,  and 
Stags  and  Pullets  of  six  months  respectively  eight  and  six 
pounds, — in  view  also  of  the  economical  uses  to  which  its  soft 
downy  feathers  may  be  applied,  also  its  productiveness,  har- 
diness, and,  lastly,  its  quiet  and  docile  temper, — in  view  of 
these  things,  I  am  well  pleased  with  pure  Shanghaes.  I  know 
not  a  better  Fowl.  In  truth,  I  might  say  of  it,  as  the  pious 
Isaac  Walton  was  wont  to  say  of  the  trout,  his  favorite  fish — 
"  Grod  might  have  made  a  better  fish,  but  he  did  not •"  so  of 
the  pure  unadulterated  Shanghae. 


130  VARIET.IE&    OF    THE 

THE  cut  on  the  opposite  page  accurately  represents  im- 
ported adult  Shanghaes  which  their  present  owner,  E.  R.  Cope, 
Esq.,  procured  from  me  last  summer.  They  were  imported 
about  the  middle  of  last  April,  direct  from  the  city  of  Shang- 
hae,  the  head-quarters  of  this  celebrated  breed.  The  Cock  I 
suppose  to  be  from  eighteen  to  twenty  months  old — the  pre- 
cise age  of  the  Hen  is  not  known.  One  of  the  hens  weighed, 
while  in  my  keeping  last  .summer,  nearly  eight  and  a  half 
pounds,  and  I  would  here  remark  that  pure  Shanghae  Hens 
rarely  exceed  that.  By  crossing  them  with  a  Malay  Cock,  or, 
indeed,  any  large  Cock,  not  a  Shanghae,  they  might  be  thus 
made  to  produce  mongrels  that  would  draw  nine,  ten,  or  even 
more  pounds;  but  beyond  a  first  cross,  fertility,  and  every 
other  valuable  quality,  would  doubtless  be  sacrificed  to  the 
increase  of  bulk. 

I  have  just  received  a  letter  from  my  friend,  H.  L.  Devereux, 
Esq.,  of  Boston,  to  whom  I  sent  a  pair  of  Shanghaes  of  my 
1847  importation,  and  he  writes,  concerning  them  and  their 
progeny,  as  follows : 

"  FRIEND  K. : — Yours  of  the  9th  November,  came  duly  to 
hand,  and  just  in  the  midst  of  our  great  Poultry  Exhibition. 
It  would  have  pleased  me  amazingly  for  you  to  have  seen  with 
your  own  eyes  the  vast  amount  of  Poultry  upon  the  ground. 
Our  tent  was  one  hundred  and  fifty-four  feet  long,  by  'one 
hundred  and  fifty  wide,  filled  completely  with  cages,  reserving 
room  enough  only  for  the  people  to  walk.  It  was  indeed  a 
magnificent  exhibition,  a  report  of  which  I  will  send  you  as 

soon  as  issued I  have  not  done  much  for  the  last  three 

weeks  but  prepare,  attend  to,  and  settle  up  the  affairs  of  that 

exhibition Next  week  I  will  endeavour  to  send  you 

aome  matter  for  your  forth-coming  volume  on  Poultry 


SHANGHAE    FOWL.  131 

I  had  almost  forgotten  to  say,  that  the  offspring  of  the  Cock 
and  Hen  I  had  of  you,  icere  as  good  as  any  tiling  in  the  whole 
exhibition.  I  had,  of  those  raised  by  a  friend  of  mine,  who 
took  the  Fowls  last  spring,  previous  to  my  moving  into  the 
country,  two  young  Stags,  and  six  Pullets,  that  were  fully  up 
to  any  thing" 

This  importation,  "which,  to  distinguish  it  from  others,  I  will 
call  (from  the  name  of  the  ship)  the  HUNTRESS  IMPORTA- 
TION, is  quite  equal  to  any  I  have  yet  seen.  E.  R.  Cope,  Esq., 
of  this  city,  obtained  from  me  some  of  my  best  Fowls  of  this 
stock,  and  he  himself  will  say  what,  on  trial,  he  thinks  of  them, 
as  well  as  of  some  which  we  jointly  imported  from  London. 

DR.  J.  J.  KERR, 

My  Dear  Sir : — I  take  advantage  of  the  first  leisure  mo- 
ment to  make  good  my  promise  "  to  let  you  know  how  I  liked 
my  imported  Chickens." 

The  coop  contained,  as  you  are  aware,  two  Pullets  and  one 
Stag  of  the  ROYAL  COCHIN  CHINA  breed,  and  one  Pullet  and 
one  Stag  of  thorough-bred  MALAY  Fowls. 

The  shipment  was  made  at  London,  on  the  15th  July,  but, 
in  consequence  of  a  misdirection,  did  not  reach  me  until  the 
latter  end  of  August,  so  that  the  Fowls  were  in  coop  more  than 
four  weeks. 

The  ROYAL  COCHIN  CHINAS  "were  in  almost  as  fine  order  as 
though  they  had  been  ranging  over  the  lawns  at  ( '•  Windsor," 
and  one  of  the  Pullets  commenced  laying  within  one  week 
after  their  arrival,  and  the  other  followed  a  few  days  later.  I 
was  inclined  to  think,  from  this  specimen,  their  laying  pro- 
pensities had  not  been  over-rated,  and  I  take  pleasure  in  say- 
ing they  have  fully  maintained  their  reputation  in  this  regard 
up  to  the  present  time.  The  two  Pullets  produced  three  dozen 
of  Eggs,  and,  the  wsather  then  becoming  very  hot  and  sultry, 
they  ceased  laying.  They  commenced  again  in  October,  and 


132  VARIETIES     OF    THE 

continued  laying  until  the  cold  weather  set  in  early  the  present 
month. 

As  regards  the  appearance  of  these  Fowls,  I  am  not  inclined 
to  say  a  great  deal,  being  fully  convinced  that  your  Artist,  Mr. 
Croome,  will  do  justice  to  their  fine  proportions  in  the  engraving 
he  is  about  to  make. 

To  casual  observers,  their  general  appearance  is  not  widely 
different  from  the  SHANGHAE  Fowl,  but,  when  closely  exa- 
mined, the  body  of  the  Pullet  is  longer  than  any  I  have  seen  of 
its  more  northern  relative  (for  related,  and  closely  too,  they 
certainly  are).  There  is  less  offal,  the  legs  being  shorter,  and 
one  of  my  Pullets,  the  older  of  the  two,  has  a  deeper  and  bet- 
ter developed  breast,  and  greater  breadth  of  back  than  any  of 
my  Shanghae  Fowls. 

The  Grower  is  a  very  handsome  Fowl,  with  beautiful  bright 
plumage,  the  feathers  soft  and  fine  as  down.  He  has  a  fine, 
erect  carriage,  bright  eye,  great  breadth  of  back,  full  chest  and 
deep  in  the  quarter.  His  comb  is  single  and  serrated,  thin 
wattles,  and  legs  feathered.  The  colour  of  the  legs  of  these 
Fowls  is  uniform — alight  flesh-colour,  while  those  of  the  Dub- 
lin stock  are  varied.  I  have  a  Pullet  of  the  latter  stock,  with 
legs  almost  black,  and  I  am  informed  others  are  green,  yellow, 
&c.  &c.  Although  Mr.  Nolan's  (the  Dublin)  stock,  may 
"  have  taken  a  premium  at  a  late  fair  at  the  side  of  the  Queen's 
Fowls,"  it  could  not  have  been  for  pure  breeding,  or  else  the 
theory  "  that  uniformity  in  the  colour  of  the  legs  is  the  very 
best  evidence  of  pure  and  careful  breeding/'  is  an  exploded 
idea ;  and  this  latter  I  do  not  believe. 

These  Fowls  are  very  quiet  and  peaceable,  but  the  Stag  does 
not  lack  courage.  They  are  always  ready  to  take  their  food,  but 
are  satisfied  with  a  much  smaller  quantity  than  the  Shanghaes. 
I  was  a  little  fearful  our  cold  winters  might  affect  them  un- 
favourably, but  we  have  already  had  some  pretty  cold  days, 
and  they  have  shown  no  symptoms  of  feeling  the  change. 


SHANGHAE    FOWL.  133 

My  MALAY  Fowls  are  evidently  a  primitive  breed  of  Chick- 
ens, unlike  any  thing  I  have  seen,  except  the  print  of  the 
"  Wild  Indian  Game,"  in  Dr.  Bennett's  recent  book  on  Poul- 
try. My  Pullet  resembles  the  engraving  referred  to  very 
closely ;  but  as  she  was  sent  to  me  as  a  PURE  MALAY  FOWL,  I 
prefer  calling  her  by  that  name.  She  is  a  dark-brown  colour, 
with  a  short,  lofty  tail,  long  neck,  without  comb  or  wattles,  and 
very  compactly  built.  Her  legs  are  long  and  bony,  and  all 
her  proportions  indicate  great  strength.  Although  young, 
(under  a  year,)  she  is  mistress  of  the  yard,  the  older  Hens 
having  long  since  acknowledged  her  supremacy. 

The  Stag  is  a  noble  Fowl,  small  head,  with  very  small  comb, 
and  nearly  no  wattles,  bright  eye,  long  neck,  broad  back,  and 
stands  high  on  two  as  strong  and  bony  legs  as  can  be  produced. 
His  plumage  is  dark-brown,  and  brilliant  red.  He  is  a  perfect 
model  of  strength,  very  courageous,  but  always  acts  on  the  de- 
fensive. He  will  not  commence  a  battle  unless  the  provocation 
is  great,  but  then  his  foe  must  beware.  To  conclude,  both  he 
and  his  mate  are  two  of  the  quietest  Fowls  in  my  collection, 
and  will,  at  any  time,  eat  from  my  hand,  and  allow  me  to  han- 
dle them  at  pleasure. 

My  SHANGHAE  Fowls  have  fully  met  my  expectations  in 
all  regards.  They  are  very  prolific  in  Eggs,  grow  large,  and 
are  remarkably  exempt  from  disease. 

My  Imported  Cock,  now  under  two  years  old,  weighs 
thirteen  pounds.  Notwithstanding  his  great  weight,  he  is  very 
active,  stands  firm  upon  his  legs,  and  has  a  very  erect  carriage. 
His  plumage  is  deep,  brilliant  yellow.  He  is  very  attentive 
to  his  Hens,  and  exercises  a  most  fatherly  care  over  the  Chicks 
in  his  yard.  This  latter  trait  I  consider  invaluable  in  a  rooster. 

I  was  much  amused,  last  fall,  to  observe  the  excellent  care  he 
exercised  over  Chicks  deserted  by  their  mother.  He  fre- 
quently would  allow  them  to  perch  upon  his  back,  and  in  this 
manner  carry  them  into  the  house,  and  then  up  the  chicken- 

12 


134  VARIETIES     OF     THE 

ladder,  When  they  would  reach  that  part  of  the  ladder  they 
were  in  the  habit  of  roosting  upon,  the  Chicks  would  leave 
his  back  and  perch  one  under  each  of  the  old  gentleman's 
wings.  This  trait  of  character  may  not  be  singular,  but  I  have 
never  noticed  it  to  the  same  extent  in  any  other  rooster  that 
has  come  under  my  observation. 

I  have  several  very  fine  SHANGHAE  Hens,  some  of  them  im- 
ported, but  as  my  space  and  time  are  both  limited,  I  must 
content  myself  by  referring  to  one  only.  I  select  this  one  on 
account  of  her  peculiar  colour,  viz.,  a  rich,  brownish-red. 
I  have  never  before  seen  a  SHANGHAE  Hen  with  dark -red 
plumage ;  and  this  singularity,  added  to  her  fine  proportions, 
makes  her  a  most  desirable  Fowl  to  breed  from.  It  will  not 
be  information  to  you,  but  for  the  benefit  of  some  of  your 
readers  not  so  familiar  with  this  breed  of  Fowls,  I  will  state 
that  the  prevailing  colour  of  the  Hens  is  light-yellow  nankeen, 
dark-yellow,  and  occasionally  a  light-bay  colour.  This  red 
Hen  weighs  nine  pounds,  and  I  am  fully  convinced  this  is  the 
maximum  weight  of  pure  SHANGHAE  Hens. 

In  conclusion,  I  will  remark  that  I  am  well  pleased  with  my 
Fowls,  and  consider  my  ROYAL  COCHIN  CHINAS,  MALAYS, 
and  SHANGHAES,  if  not  the  best  in  the  country,  certainly  the 
best  of  these  varieties  I  have  met  with. 

Yours  very  truly, 

E.  E.  COPE. 

Swedeland,  December,  1850. 

The  following  letter  will  show  the  estimation  in  which  the 
Kev.  Mr.  Bumstead  holds  the  Shanghae  Fowl : 

Roxborough,  Pa.,  December  13,  1850. 
DR.  J.  J.  KERR, 
Dear  Sir, — I  much  regret  my  absence  from  home  on  the 

day  that  Mr. called  to  examine  my  Poultry.     Since  our 

interview  at  the  "  Fair,"  my  Fowls  have  much  improved  in 


SHANGHAE     FOWL.  135 

appearance.  My  stock  has  also  greatly  increased,  having 
raised  over  fifty  Chickens;  both  of  the  White  and  Brown 
Shanghaes.  Several  of  these  are  two  months  old,  the  largest, 
most  beautiful  and  hardy  Chickens,  for  their  age,  I  have  ever 
seen.  They  command  general  admiration.  Though  late  in 
the  season  when  hatched,  yet  we  have  lost  but  two  of  the  whole 
number.  They  are  heavily  feathered,  and  have  all  the  ap- 
pearance of  our  common  Pullets  of  three  and  four  months 
old. 

I  hazard  nothing  in  saying,  that,  if  the  farmers  of  Penn- 
sylvania knew  the  worth  of  these  Fowls,  no  effort  would  be 
spared  to  obtain  them.  Of  the  various  breeds,  none  can  ex- 
ceed (so  far  as  my  experience  goes)  the  Shanghaes  and  the 
Cochin  China  Hens  for  laying.  In  the  month  of  September, 
I  received  from  Frederick  H.  Whitney,  Esq.,  of  Dedham,  Mass. 
(who  had  a  large  assortment  of  imported  Fowls),  three  Cochin 
China,  and  two  White  Shanghae  Fowls,  and  since  that  time, 
they  have  laid  more  Eggs  than  the  whole  of  my  common 
Fowls  together.  These  Hens  have  laid  almost  daily,  since 
that  time,  and  have  hatched  out  five  broods ;  and  for  three 
weeks  past,  there  is  not  a  day  but  they  give  me  an  Egg.  One 
of  the  White  Shanghae  Hens,  though  smaller  in  size  than 
the  others,  lays  a  very  large  Egg — her  Eggs  are  of  a  chocolate 
colour,  and  very  rich.  She  is  emphatically  the  Hen  that  lays 
the  golden  Egg.  And  though  I  place  no  confidence  in  the 
statement  of  those  who  assert  that  the  Cochin  China  Hen  fre- 
quently lays  two  Eggs  on  the  same  day,  yet  I  must  say  she 
comes  the  next  thing  to  it. 

I  have  in  my  possession  a  Cochin  China  Cockerel,  of  a  yel- 
lowish-brown colour,  a  most  perfectly  formed  bird — his  plu- 
mage the  most  glossy  and  beautiful — and  though,  but  six  months 
old,  of  great  size  and  power.  The  double  joint  of  the  wing 
peculiar  to  this  class  of  Fowls,  is  quite  perceptible.  He  is 
my  pet  bird,  and  consequently  is  treated  with  great  kindness. 


136  VARIETIES     OF     THE 

I  arn  glad  to  hear  you  intend  publishing  a  book  on  Poul- 
try. No  doubt  but  you  will  give  us  just  the  book  we  need  for 
this  latitude.  There  is  a  deficiency  in  many  of  the  works  on 
this  subject,  which  you  will  be  able  to  supply. 

Tell  our  Pennsylvania  farmers  that  one  Rooster  and  two 
Hens  of  the  Shanghae  breed,  will  give  them  more  Eggs  in 
three  months  time,  of  a  greater  size  and  richer  quality,  than 
five  times  that  number  of  ordinary  Hens  will  do  in  one  year, 
and  will  hatch  out  a  finer  brood,  with  less  trouble  and  more 
certainty,  than  any  Fowls  they  have  heretofore  possessed.  And 
though  it  is  said,  we  must  never  count  the  Chickens  before  they 
are  hatched,  yet  to  this  rule  there  is  one  exception,  viz.,  the 
Shanghae  Fowls. 

Respectfully  Yours, 

SAMUEL  A.  BUMSTEAD. 

P.  S. — I  have  also  a  large  black  Hen,  the  Eggs  of  which 
very  much  resemble  those  of  the  Cochin  China,  quite  brown  in 
their  colour,  and  very  rich.  I  have  crossed  this  breed  with 
the  Brown  Shanghae,  of  which  I  have  now  some  very  fine 
Pullets,  to  which  I  give  the  name  of  the  Black  Shanghae.  I 
wish  much  for  you  to  see  them.  Will  you  not  favour  us  with 
a  visit  soon  ? 

There  is  a  neighbour  of  mine,  Mr.  Samuel  Hagy,  who  owns 
a  variety  of  Fowls,  of  a  very  valuable  breed.  He  has  the 
large  Spanish  Fowl,  and  some  of  the  Indian  breed.  He  thinks 
there  are  no  Hens  in  the  country  that  lay  larger  Eggs — they 
always  command  a  high  price,  and  are  eagerly  sought  for.  I 
shall  be  pleased  to  introduce  you  to  his  famed  stock  of  Poultry. 

S.  A.  B. 

My  post-office  address  is  Leverington,  Philadelphia  county, 
Pa.,  or  Manayunk. 

That  variety  of  Shanghaes  called  the  red,  is  thus  described 
by  the  following  correspondent,  who  says  : — 


SHANGHAE    FOWL.  137 

"In  the  year  1849,  there  was  brought  out,  on  board  of  the 
Ship  Vancouver,  from  Shanghae,  a  breed  of  Fowls,  which 
differs  from  all  others  imported  from  Shanghae,  in  shape,  size, 
and  form  of  the  combs,  and  the  shape  and  length  of  the  wat- 
tles. These  Fowls  have  short  legs,  and  their  thighs  are  larger 
in  diameter  than  any  others  brought  from  that  region. 

"  The  body  is  very  wide  and  deep,  and  the  breast  is  broad  and 
full,  giving  the  Fowls  an  uncommonly  square  appearance. 
The  comb  is  very  large,  compared  with  other  Shanghae  Fowls, 
and  is  larger  than  that  of  the  Black  Spanish,  pure  specimens 
of  which  I  have  in  my  yard — they  are  the  original  Spanish, 
selected  expressly  for  me  in  the  interior  of  Fayal :  the  Eggs 
from  which  have  weighed  from  four  to  four  and  a  half 
ounces  each,  though  the  Hens  seldom  weigh  over  four  pounds 
each. 

"  The  form  of  the  comb  of  the  Shanghae  is  circular,  not  an- 
gular, as  the  comb  of  all  others  brought  from  Shanghae,  and 
is  deeply  serrated,  and  like  the  comb  of  the  Black  Spanish. 
The  wattles  are  larger  than  those  of  any  other  Fowls,  not  except- 
ing the  Black  Spanish.  The  cheeks  are  red.  The  ear  lobes,  and  is 
also  of  that  colour,  and  in  keeping  with  the  size  of  the  wattles. 
The  legs  and  feet  are  fully  feathered,  more  than  in  any  other 
breed. 

"  I  still  have  the  original,  which  have  been  carefully  guarded, 
and  the  progeny  have  improved  in  size  upon  the  original  stock. 

JOHN  FASSELL." 

Tn  a  letter  to  the  author,  Mr.  Geo.  P.  Burnham,  of  Boston, 
Mass.,  who  has  bred  several  varieties  of  this  stock,  during  the 
past  two  years,  speaks  as  follows  : — 

"  For  all  the  purposes  of  a  really  good  Fowl,  whether  I 
speak  of  beauty  of  model,  good  size,  or  laying  qualities,  I  deem 
the  thorough-bred  Shanghaes  among  the  best,  and  generally 

most  profitable  of  domestic  birds.     For  the  last  two  years,  I 

12* 


138  VARIETIES    OF    THE 

have  bred  the  Marsh  stock,  the  Forbes,  the  Palmer,  the  Par- 
sons, the  Baylies,  and  my  own  importations ;  and  I  have  done 
this  practically  and  experimentally,  with  a  view  to  obtaining 
the  most  prolific,  all  circumstances  considered. 

"  The  Marsh  stock  breeds  rather  uneven,  latterly;  many  of 
the  fourth  and  fifth  generations  coming  deformed  and  im- 
perfect; this  stock  is  very  good,  however,  and  most  of  the 
birds  prove  highly  satisfactory.  The  Forbes  and  Palmer  stocks, 
for  Shanghaes,  are  very  superior.  The  Baylies  and  Parsons 
importations  are  comparatively  run  out,  from  long  and  careless 
breeding ;  and  the  specimens  this  year,  do  not  come  up  to  the 
original  at  all.  The  "Perley"  Fowls,  imported  two  or  three 
years  since  into  Salem,  are  good,  and  the  progeny  come  very 
like  the  original ;  but  they  are  not  so  large,  generally,  as  some 
others.  J.  Fassell,  Esq.,  of  Roxbury,  has  an  importation  of 
his  own,  which  promise  finely. 

"  From  my  own  importations  last  season,  I  have  several  very 
fine  specimens  of  pure  Shanghaes,  uniform  in  colour  and  cha- 
racteristics, and  remarkably  heavy  for  their  ages — the  Stags,  at 
five  to  six  months  old,  weighing  eight  and  a  half  and  nine 
pounds,  and  Pullets,  of  the  same  age,  five  and  a  half  and  six 
and  a  half  pounds  each,  live  weight.  At  maturity,  these 
samples  will  weigh  eighteen  and  nineteen  pounds  a  pair,  alive, 
I  do  not  doubt.  The  Cock  and  best  imported  Hen,  (say 
eighteen  months  old,)  now  weigh,  after  the  first  moult,  seven- 
teen and  three-quarter  pounds  the  pair ;  the  Cock  is  a  very  fine 
one,  heavily  feathered  to  the  toes,  (as  are  also  the  Hens,)  and 
his  colour  is  a  dark  brown  and  black.  The  Hens  (pullets)  are 
of  a  fawn  or  pale  buff.  They  are  short-legged,  comparatively, 
but  heavy  bodied,  handsomely  plumed,  and  among  the  very 
best  layers  I  have  ever  yet  seen.  I  send  you  a  pair  of  the  Pul- 
lets, which  you  can  judge  of  better  upon  examination.  They 
are  &  fine  sample  of  the  whole.  I  have  a  dozen  more,  precisely 


DR.  EBEN  WEIGHTS  WHITE  SIIANGIIAE  FOWLS. 


SHANGHAE     FOWL.  139 

like  them,  (retained  for  breeding  next  spring,)  and  I  deem 
them  very  superior  as  Shanghaes. 

u  I  have  never  seen  their  equals  for  laying  early.  In  one 
or  two  cases,  the  Cochin  Chinas  I  imported,  have  commenced 
to  lay  at  four  and  a  half  to  five  months  old.  These  Shanghaes 
begin,  invariably,  at  early  six  months  old,  and  they  are  very 
prolific,  laying  large  Eggs,  and  a  great  many  of  them,  before 
showing  a  desire  to  sit.  All  things  considered,  they  are  cer- 
tainly a  valuable  species  of  Domestic  Fowl,  and  I  am  highly 
pleased  with  them. 

"I  have  now  on  the  way,  direct  from  Shanghae  and  Canton, 
two  fresh  lots  of  the  ' Cochin  Chinas'  and  ' Shanghaes/ 
from  which,  (with  the  stock  I  have  now  reserved,)  I  shall  breed 
another  year.  The  Fowls  above  alluded  to  were  ordered  in 
November  and  December,  (a  year  ago,)  and  I  hope  to  be  in 
receipt  of  a  fine  lot,  now,  in  a  few  days." 


WHITE  SHANGHAE  FOWL. 

THERE  is  a  variety  of  Sbanghaes  of  the  above  name.  They 
are  entirely  white,  legs  usually  feathered,  and  differ  in  no  ma- 
terial respect  from  the  red,  yellow,  and  dominique,  except  in 
colour.  It  has  been  said  that  they  rarely  attain  to  the  size  of 
the  other  varieties.  Their  legs  are  yellowish,  or  reddish-yel- 
low, and  sometimes  of  flesh-colour.  I  understand  Mr.  Giles, 
of  Providence,  K  I.,  to  prefer  them  to  all  others.  Their  Eggs 
are  of  a  nankeen  or  dull-yellow  colour,  blunt  at  both  ends.  The 
following  communication  on  White  Shanghaes,  together  with  ori- 
ginal drawings,  from  which  the  opposite  portraits  were  made, 
were  obligingly  furnished  by  Dr.  Eben  Wight,  of  Boston.  He 
keeps  his  Fowls,  of  which  he  has  several  choice  breeds,  on  his 
farm,  at  Dedham,  Mass.  He  says  : 


140  VARIETIES    OF     THE 

Among  the  many  varieties  of  the  Gallus  race  which  have 
been  introduced  into  the  New  England  States  from  China, 
there  is  no  variety  which  possesses  so  many  good  qualities  as 
the  White  Shanghaes. 

The  White  Shanghaes  are  larger  and  more  quiet  than  other 
varieties.  The  flesh  of  these  Fowls  is  much  superior,  not 
sinewy  or  "  stringy/7  as  is  the  case  with  the  flesh  of  most  of  the 
other  Shanghaes.  The  Eggs  are  larger,  and  these  Hens  are 
more  prolific  than  those  of  other  colours. 

In  their  habits  they  are  more  quiet,  and  less  inclined  to 
ramble.  These  habits  render  the  Hens  invaluable  for  incuba- 
tors and  nurses,  and  the  mildness  of  their  disposition  makes 
them  excellent  foster-mothers,  as  they  never  injure  the  Chicks 
belonging  to  other  Hens.  I  am  induced  to  speak  more  fully 
of  these  characteristics,  from  the  many  vexatious  losses  I  have 
suffered  in  the  experiments  I  have  tried. 

I  have  imported  different  breeds  of  Fowls  from  Europe  and 
elsewhere,  and  have  received  from  many  friends  specimens  of 
choice  Fowls,  and  my  endeavours  to  propagate  them  have  been 
frustrated  by  the  rambling  or  quarrelsome  disposition  of  the 
Hens  which  I  have  been  obliged  to  use  for  incubators  and 
nurses.  I  have  lost,  oftentimes,  by  .quarrelsomeness  of  the 
Hens,  their  entire  broods;  for  instance,  the  Game  Hens  are 
constant  sitters  and  careful  nurses  to  their  own  Chickens,  Ibut 
are  exceedingly  cruel  to  those  of  other  Hens.  The  moment 
one  of  their  Chickens  is  injured,  a  fight  is  commenced,  and  the 
Chickens,  alarmed  at  the  turmoil,  crowding  around  their  dams, 
are  many  of  them  killed,  and  the  victorious  Hen,  after  her 
opponent  has  retreated,  will  attack  every  Chick  within  her 
reach,  and  oftentimes,  in  her  desire  for  revenge,  mistaking  her 
owns  Chicks  as  belonging  to  her  antagonist,  destroys  them.  In 
the  mean  time  the  vanquished  will  destroy  every  stranger's 
Chick  that  comes  within  her  reach. 

A  Hen  of  active  and  energetic  disposition  confined  in  a  coop, 


SHANGHAE    FOWL.  141 

will  soon  reduce  her  brood  by  the  blows  given  in  scratching. 
The  Chicks  are  knocked  right  and  left,  and  those  few  which 
may  survive  the  confinement  are  destroyed  by  dew  and  rain, 
lost  in  the  grass,  or,  becoming  tired,  are  left  by  their  dam, 
who,  in  the  exuberance  of  her  delight  at  her  escape  from 
confinement,  forgetting  that  her  Chicks  are  not  as  strong  as  she 
is,  goes  on  her  way  rejoicing,  till,  finding  a  fat  worm  or  grub, 
she  seizes  it,  and  while  seeking  for  her  little  ones,  her  attention 
is  attracted  by  some  fat  grass-hopper,  and  away  she  darts  in 
pursuit.  Becoming  somewhat  fatigued  herself,  she  calls  her 
Chicks  to  be  brooded,  and  finding  herself  alone,  she  is  alarmed, 
and  rushes  to  find  her  Chickens,  and  by  her  loud  cries  drown- 
ing the  feeble  chirpings  of  her  little  ones,  she  finally  returns  to 
her  coop  alone.  It  would  have  been  better  to  have  eaten  the 
Eggs  than  to  have  trusted  them  to  such  a  Hen.  Would  it 
not  ?  I  have  many  a  time  thought  so. 

Having,  as  I  before  stated,  met  with  many  vexatious  losses, 
I,  as  you  must  readily  conceive,  do  most  highly  prize  the 
White  Shanghae  Fowls  for  their  quiet  dispositions.  These 
Fowls  are  not  sluggish  or  stupid ;  on  the  contrary,  they  are  in- 
telligent and  confiding.  To  persons  who  have  the  "  everlasting 
layers,"  the  Black  Spanish,  for  instance, — a  breed  that  never 
shows  the  slightest  desire  to  incubate, — the  White  Shanghaes 
are  invaluable  for  the  purpose  of  rearing  Chickens. 

The  Fowls  of  which  the  artist  made  the  drawing  from 
which  the  portraits  are  engraved,  were  imported  from  Shang- 
hae, and  were  there  purchased  as  a  pure  race,  and  were  war- 
ranted as  such.  I  received  them  directly  from  the  ship, 
and  as  evidence  of  the  purity  of  blood,  I  mention  that  every 
Egg  that  has  been  laid  has  incubated,  and  every  Chick  that 
has  been  hatched,  has  been  uniformly  white,  and  there  has  not 
been  the  slightest  variation  in  form  or  plumage. 

These  Fowls  will  rank  among  the  largest  coming  from  China, 
and,  as  a  proof  that  they  thrive  well  in  this  climate,  I  will  in- 


142  VARIETIES    OP     SHANGHAE     FOWL. 

stance  that  one  of  the  progeny,  a  Cock,  not  yet  eight  months 
old,  being  one  of  the  first  brood  hatched,  weighs  fully  eight 
pounds,  and  the  Pullets  are  proportionably  large.  They  are 
broad  on  the  back  and  breast,  with  a  body  well  rounded  up ; 
the  plumage  white,  with  a  downy  softness — in  this  respect 
much  like  the  feathering  of  the  Bremen  Goose;  the  tail 
feathers  short  and  full;  the  head  small,  surmounted  by  a~ 
small,  single,  serrated  comb ;  wattles  long  and  wide,  overlay- 
ing the  cheek-piece,  which  is  also  large  and  extending  back  on 
the  neck ;  the  legs  are  of  a  yellow  hue,  approaching  a  flesh- 
colour,  and  feathered  to  the  ends  of  the  toes. 

EBEN  WIGHT. 

Dedham,  Mass.,  December  5th,  1850. 


143 


CHAPTER  VII. 

THE   COCHIN   CHINA  FOWL. 

As  there  occurs  in  this  chapter  of  Mr.  Dixon's  book,  several 
lists  giving  the  weight  of  different  kinds  of  Fowls,  and  as  Mr. 
J.  J.  Nolan,  of  Dublin,  seems  to  regard  the  weights  thus  given 
as  ridiculously  small  for  first-class  birds,  I  beg  to  offer  a  few 
remarks  on  the  subject.  When  the  weight  of  a  Fowl  is  men- 
tioned, I  at  once  inquire  the  age,  as  much  depends  on  that.  I 
had  a  Pullet  once,  a  mixture  of  Malay,  Cochin  China,  and 
perhaps  Shanghae,  that,  when  she  came  to  her  first  laying, 
being  then  about  seven  or  eight  months  old,  weighed  exactly 
nine  and  a  quarter  pounds ;  when  she  came  to  her  laying  the 
next  season,  being  then  about  one  year  older,  she  weighed  a 
fraction  over  eleven  pounds ;  and  when  she  began  to  lay  the 
third  season,  she  weighed  thirteen  and  a  quarter  pounds. 
She  then  passed  out  of  my  hands,  but  I  heard  during  the  sum- 
mer, from  the  gentleman  who  now  owns  her,  that,  on  coming 
to  her  laying  on  the  fourth  season,  being  then  between  three 
and  four  years  old,  she  weighed  thirteen  and  a  half  pounds. 
Another  remark  I  would  offer  in  this  connexion  :  it  is  important, 
in  estimating  the  value  and  size  of  a  Fowl,  on  having  the  weighjti 
stated,  to  know  not  only  the  condition  of  the  Fowl,  and  the  age, 
but  also  the  season  of  the  year.  I  have  found  both  Cocks  and 
Hens  to  be  at  their  maximum  weight  in  February :  they  are 
then  recruited  after  moulting ;  the  Hens  are  about  beginning 


144  THE     COCHIN     CHINA    FOWL. 

to  lay,  and  the  Cocks  are  not  reduced,  as  they  are  at  the  close 
of  the  breeding  season.  The  thirteen  and  a  half  pounds  Hen 
just  mentioned,  was  reduced  in  her  third  moult  from  thirteen 
and  a  quarter  pounds  to  eight  pounds  ten  ounces  !  Others,  of 
course,  are  proportionately  reduced  by  the  same  cause. 

Very  little  is  known  of  the  origin  of  the  Cochin  China  Fowl, 
further  than  that  some  gentleman,  three  or  four  years  ago, 
presented  a  few  to  the  Queen  of  England,  who  subsequently 
had  them  bred  at  Windsor  Park.  In  order  to  promote  their 
propagation,  her  Majesty  made  presents  of  them  occasionally 
to  such  persons  as  she  supposed  likely  to  appreciate  them. 
They  differ  very  little  in  their  qualities,  habits,  and  general 
appearance  from  our  Shanghaes,  to  which  they  are  undoubtedly 
nearly  related.  The  Egg  is  nearly  the  same  size,  shape,  and 
colour  ;  both  have  an  equal  development  of  comb  and  wattles, 
the  Cochins  slightly  differing  from  the  Shanghaes,  chiefly  in 
being  somewhat  deeper  and  fuller  in  the  breast,  not  quite  so 
deep  in  the  quarter,  and  being  usually  smooth-legged,  while 
the  Shanghaes,  generally,  are  more  or  less  heavily  feathered. 
The  plumage  is  much  the  same  in  both  cases,  nor  have  I  dis- 
covered any  difference  in  the  crow,  it  being  in  both  equally 
sonorous  and  prolonged,  differing  considerably  from  that  of  the 
great  Malay.  Mr.  Nolan  says  "  that  full-grown  Cocks,  from 
one  and  a  half  to  two  years  old,  average  a  weight  of  from  ten 
to  twelve  pounds,  the  Hens  from  eight  to  nine  pounds.  The 
male  bird  stands  about  two  feet  high ;  the  female  about  twenty- 
two  inches The  Cock's  comb  is  usually  single,  serrated. 

and  erect,  of  a  brilliant  scarlet,  but  not  always  single ;  I  have 
had  both  single  and  double  combs  in  the  same  clutch ;  the 
wattles  are  large ;  they  are  quite  free  from  top-knots ;  the 
hackles  on  the  neck  and  hips,  yellowish-brown ;  the  tail  black, 
with  metallic  lustre,  and,  when  fully  furnished,  presents  the 
usual  cock's  plume ;  the  legs  vary  from  a  flesh-colour  to  an 
orange-yellow,  and  are  not  so  long  as  in  the  Malay ;  the  Eggs 


THE     COCHIN     CHINA    FOWL.  145 

are  generally  buff-coloured,  of  large  size,  and  blunt  at  the  ends; 
the  Chickens  progress  rapidly  in  size,  but  feather  slowly." 

E.  K.  Cope,  Esq.,  of  this  city,  and  myself  imported  a  few 
Fowls  from  London  last  summer;  the  three  Cochin  Chinas 
whose  portraits  precede  this  chapter,  were  of  the  number,  and 
were  procured  of  the  Messrs.  Baker,  of  Chelsea,  and  are  now 
in  the  possession  of  Mr.  Cope,  who  ha£  had  a  good  opportunity 
tor  becoming  acquainted  with  their  habits  and  qualities.  His 
estimate  of  them  is  expressed  in  the  preceding  chapter,  in 
connection  with  the  Shanghaes. 


146  THE    COCHIN    CHINA    FOWL. 


COCHIN  CHINA  FOWL.— BURNHAM'S  IMPORTATION. 

In  reply  to  a  request  of  the  Editor,  Geo.  P.  Burnham,  Esq., 
of  Boston,  Mass.,  communicated  the  following,  in  reference  to 
his  two  importations  of  Cochin  China  Fowls,  introduced  into 
this  country  in  January  and  February,  1850.  In  a  letter 
dated  December  1st,  1850,  he  writes : — 

It  affords  me  pleasure  to  give  you  a  brief  account  of  my 
Cochin  China  birds,  and,  in  accordance  with  your  desire,  I 
would  state  that  I  have  given  them  a  thorough  experimental 
trial  during  the  past  year,  and  can  "  speak  by  the  card,"  from 
actual  knowledge  of  the  habits  and  qualities  of  those  I  have 
imported  and  bred. 

You  are  already  aware  that  I  obtained  two  lots  of  these 
Fowls  early  in  the  present  year— one  batch,  of  six,  from  J.  J. 
Nolan,  of  Dublin,  and  the  other  six  direct,  by  ship,  from  Can- 
ton. All  the  imported  male  birds  are  now  dead;  three  of 
them  were  killed  by  fighting,  and  the  fourth  died  suddenly,  (in 
my  absence  from  home,)  from  some  unknown  cause.  Of  the 
original  Hens,  I  have  but  three  remaining — one  of  Nolan's,  and 
two  of  the  others.  Of  the  young  stock,  however,  I  have  re- 
served twenty -five  specimens — say,  eighteen  Pullets  and  six  or 
seven  Cocks,  (Stags,)  which  promise  finely  for  another  season. 

For  all  the  purposes  of  a  really  good  Domestic  Fowl — 
whether  I  speak  of  productiveness,  easy  keeping,  laying  qua- 
lities, size,  disposition,  beauty  of  form  and  plumage,  or  hardi- 
ness, (in  this  climate,)  after  a  careful  comparative  trial,  I  deem 
the  Cochin  Chinas  the  best.  This  is  saying  much  in  their  fa- 
vour, I  know ;  but  you  ask  my  real  opinion,  and  I  give  it  ho- 
nestly. To  my  fancy,  they  have  no  equals  among  the  varieties 
now  known  in  America. 

In  the  multiplying  of  all  kinds  of  stock,  it  is  admitted  that 
there  are  exceptions,  or  rather  a  choice,  among  the  progeny 


p 


I 

**        el 


THE    COCHIN    CHINA    FOWL.  147 

produced.  I  have  found  this  the  case  with  my  Cochin  China 
Fowls,  and  I  have  selected  my  birds  for  future  breeding,  ac- 
cordingly. One  of  the  Nolan  Cocks  showed  a  slight  germ  of 
feathering  upon  the  legs;  so  with  one  of  the  Canton  Hens. 
A  few  of  the  Chicks  were  similarly  marked,  but  this  feature 
does  not  appear  to  any  extent.  I  breed  from  the  smooth- 
legged  Fowls  exclusively.* 

My  object  in  importing  these  birds  was  to  obtain,  if  possible, 
the  best  to  be  had,  all  things  considered;  but  I  look  upon 
fine  flesh,  and  close-grained,  juicy  meat,  as  being  of  greater 
consequence  than  mere  size,  beauty,  or  prolific  qualities. 
The  Cochin  Chinas  are  not  so  large,  usually,  as  the  Chittagong, 
for  instance ;  but  my  experience  leads  me  to  prefer  the  former; 
and  I  have  tried  both  varieties — side  by  side — to  arrive  at 
this  conclusion. 

My  two  best  Cochin  China  Hens  have  this  year  laid — from 
the  middle  of  February  to  about  the  first  of  September — 
almost  constantly.  In  the  six  and  a  half  months,  they  laid 
over  one  hundred  and  sixty  Eggs,  each.  Since  the  middle 
of  October,  they  have  again  commenced  laying,  and  have  done 
as  well.  The  Pullets  out  of  this  stock  have  laid  at  four  and  a 
half  to  five  months  old,  invariably.  I  breed  both  importations 
together,  now,  and  they  do  equally  well,  I  find. 

The  old  Fowls  have  weighed,  when  in  their  best  condition — • 
Hens,  eight,  eight  and  a  quarter,  and  eight  and  a  half  pounds ; 
the  Cocks,  from  ten  to  eleven  and  a  quarter  pounds,  each. 
This  is  heavy  enough  to  answer  my  wishes  or  expectations. 


*  If  my  friend  B.  rejects  all  that  are  more  or  less  feathered  on  the 
legs,  he  will,  in  time,  reduce  the  size  of  his  fowls,  and  vice  versa. 
See  a  pure  Shanghae  stag  I  raised  last  summer,  portrayed  on  a  pre- 
ceding page — his  legs  are  as  smooth  as  an  icicle.  See  also  E.  R. 
Cope's  Cochins,  moderately  feathered — also  Mr.  Giles's  stock,  all 
equally  pure  feathered  also. — ED. 


148  THE     COCHIN     CHINA    FOWL. 

Though  at  times  they  have  all  inclined  to  do  so,  I  have  never 
set  but  one  of  the  imported  Hens ;  she  proved  an  excellent 
mother,  and  reared  eleven  out  of  thirteen  of  her  Chicks.  I 
think  them  too  clumsy,  however,  as  sitters,  and  should  avoid 
it,  if  practicable. 

My  Cochin  China  Fowls  have  been  much  admired,  and  this 
stock  (old  and  young)  has  taken  tliQ  first  premiums  at  all  the 
Fairs  or  Exhibitions  in  Massachusetts,  where  they  have  yet 
been  shown.  This  is  some  evidence  of  their  excellence,  in 
view  of  the  generally  acknowledged  fact,  that  there  are  some 
very  fine  fowls  here,  out  of  other  importations  from  Shang- 
hae  and  Canton.  I  have  found  the  young  birds,  latterly,  very 
hardy — though  at  first  I  lost  a  goodly  number  from  breeding 
too  early. 

The  prevailing  colour  of  my  birds  is  yellow,  or  yellowish- 
brown  Pullets — and  yellow  and  red,  or  yellow,  red  and  brown 
Cocks.  They  have  never  deviated  from  this  range  of  colour, 
except  in  two  or  three  broods  out  of  the  dark  Canton  Cock — 
all  of  which  are  now  extinct.  The  Chicks  come  even  in  size 
and  plumage ;  and  down  to  the  third  generation,  they  have 
bred  exactly  the  same :  this  is  a  very  satisfactory  result,  in 
my  estimation.  I  have  never  yet  seen  a  black,  a  grey,  a  white, 
or  a  speckled  Chick,  from  this  stock !  A  very  few  specimens 
have  shown  a  dark  leg;  but,  with  the  epicure,  this  is  desirable, 
and  I  do  not  discard  these  birds  on  that  account — though  my 
own  taste  favours  the  yellow  limb. 

I  am  more  and  more  confirmed  in  my  opinion  that  the 
"  Cochin  Chinas"  and  "  Shanghaes"  originate  from  the  same 
primitive  stock.  The  difference  between  the  two  varieties  is 
distinct,  but  the  general  characteristics,  (so  far  as  my  experi- 
ence goes,)  are  similar.  The  Cochins  are  longer  legged, 
longer  necked,  and  longer  bodied,  generally ;  they  should  be 
smooth-legged,  and  are  usually  a  heavier  Fowl  at  the  same 
age  I  think  the  pure  Shanghae  tribe  are  uniformly  heavily 


ME,  GEO.  P.  BUKNIIAM'S  EOYAL  COCHIN  CHINA  FOWLS. 


THE    COCHIN     CHINA    FOWL.  149 

feathered  upon  the  leg ;  and  I  would  breed  none  others,  for 
Shanghai's.  As  to  the  comparative  laying  qualities  of  these 
two,  I  have  found  but  little  difference  among  the  best  spe- 
cimens ;  either  are  excellent  layers,  and  both  breeds  have  now 
their  champions  among  our  New  England  fanciers.  For 
one,  /prefer  the  Cochin  Chinas  to  any  fowl  I  have  ever  yet 
met  with. 

I  have  sent  samples  of  my  Cochin  China  stock  to  South 
Carolina,  Pennsylvania,  Georgia,  Louisiana,  Ohio,  Michigan, 
Maine,  and  New  York ;  and,  in  every  instance,  they  have  more 
than  fulfilled  the  anticipations  of  purchasers.  Other  fanciers 
prefer  other  varieties  :  I  have  bred  them  all,  more  or  less,  but 
I  am  content  with  these ;  and  if  the  young  stock  prove  as 
good  as  the  old  Fowls  have,  I  think  it  will  be  difficult  to  find 
any  variety  to  excel  them. 

I  send  you  portraits  of  two  groups.  The  first  is  a  pair  of 
the  "  Royals,"  (so  called  to  distinguish  them  from  others,} 
and  were  drawn  from  life,  by  S.  E.  Brown,  of  Boston.  The 
other  group  is  a  trio  of  this  year's  birds,  drawn  also  from  life, 
by  F.  A.  Durivage,  from  the  stock  I  am  now  breeding.  I 
think  they  will  compare  favourably  with  the  best  specimens  of 
Domestic  birds  in  our  country,  and  I  assure  you  the  portraits 
are  very  truthful.  "With  my  best  wishes  for  the  success  of 
your  contemplated  work  on  Poultry,  and  the  suggestion  that 
you  can  use  this  hastily  prepared  account  in  such  way  as  may 
be  agreeable  to  you,  I  am, 

Very  truly,  yours, 

GrEO.    P.    BURNHAM. 

Melrose,  Mass.,  1850. 

At  the  Exhibition  of  Poultry  in  Boston,  in  October,  1850, 
the  Committee  awarded  to  George  P.  Burnham  the  first  pre 
miums  for  Fowls  and  Chickens.  The  prize  birds  were  the 
"  Royal  Cochin  Chinas"  and  their  progeny,  which  have  been 

13* 


150  THE    COCHIN     CHINA    FOWL. 

bred  with  care,  from  his  imported  stock;  and  which  were 
generally  acknowledged  at  the  head  of  the  list  of  specimens. 
At  this  show,  Mr.  Burnham  declined  an  offer  of  $120  for  his 
twelve  premium  Cochin  China  Chickens,  and,  subsequently, 
$20  for  the  choice  of  Pullets. 

The  committee  of  this  Exhibition,  in  their  published  Report, 
state,  that  "the  specimens  displayed  on  this  occasion,  em- 
braced almost  every  known  variety  of  the  best  Domestic 
Fowls ;  and  the  number  of  samples  of  Aquatic,  Ornamental, 
and  Cage  birds  was  very  generous.  The  improvement  made 
in  breeding,  during  the  past  twelvemonth,  was  very  apparent 
in  the  character  of  a  large  proportion  of  the  fine  gallinaceous 
Fowls  exhibited — these  being,  for  the  most  part,  from  late  im- 
ported stocks,  in  many  cases  very  carefully  bred." 

"The  magnificent  samples  of  Cochin  China  Fowls,  con- 
tributed by  Gr.  P.  Burnham,  were  the  theme  of  much  com- 
ment and  deserved  praise.  These  birds  include  his  imported 
Fowls  and  their  progeny — of  which  he  exhibited  nineteen 
splendid  specimens.  To  this  stock,  the  Committee  unani- 
mously awarded  the  first  premiums  for  Fowls  and  Chickens; 
and  finer  samples  of  Domestic  birds  will  rarely  be  found  in 
this  country.  They  are  bred  from  the  Queen's  variety,  obtained 
by  Mr.  Burnham  last  winter,  at  heavy  cost,  and  are  unques- 
tionably, at  this  time,  the  finest  thorough-bred  Cochin  Chinas 
in  America." 

I  have  said  that  the  family  of  Shanghaes  and  that  of  the  Co- 
chin Chinas  are  very  nearly  allied.  Under  this  impression,  I 
wrote  a  twelve  month  ago  to  the  Rev.  Mr.  Dixon,  giving  him  a 
close  description  of  two  varieties  of  Shanghaes  which  I  knew 
to  be  pure — at  least,  I  was  certain  they  came  from  Shanghae  ; 
the  varieties  differing  only  in  the  one  being  about  fifteen  or 
sixteen  pounds  per  pair,  and  being  comparatively  smooth- 
legged,  and  the  other  running  from  seventeen  to  twenty  pounds 
p^jr  pair,  and  being  well  feathered  on  the  legs  in  general,  though 


THE     COCHIN    CHINA     FOWL.  151 

not  invariably.  In  answer  to  my  letter,  he  says,  "  In  reply  to 
yours  of  the  28th  ult.,  you  may  take  it  for  granted  that  the 
stories  respecting  the  Cochin  China  Fowls,  that  they  have  a 
black  horse-shoe  mark  across  the  breast,  that  the  feathers  of 
the  back  of  the  neck  are  reversed,  that  the  last  joint  of  the 
wing  is  contrived  so  as  to  be  folded  up,  etc.  etc.,  are  apocryphal. 
I  have  little  doubt  that  your  first  named  variety,  (the  variety 
weighing  from  fifteen  to  sixteen  pounds  per  pair,)  l  almost 
smooth-legged,  (the  Cock  some  shade  of  yellow  or  red,  the  Hen 
some  shade  of  bay/)  are  the  same  as  the  Queen's  Cochin 
Chinas,  especially  if  the  Co«ks  have  a  large,  single,  upright, 
deeply  indented  comb,  (which  they  have.)  It  is  probable  that 
both  your  first  varieties  have  been  imported  into  this  country, 
and  been  crossed  with  each  other,  so  causing  a  little  difficulty 
about  their  distinctiveness." — He  says,  in  the  same  letter, 
(( it  is  impossible  to  learn  the  native  place  of  the  Queen's 
Fowls." 

Of  the  smaller  of  the  two  varieties,  which  Mr.  Dixon  thinks 
are  identical  with  the  Queen's  Fowl,  Mr.  C.  S.  Sampson,  of 
Boston,  got  a  beautiful  pair  of  me,  last  spring,  for  which,  I  under- 
stood him  to  say,  he  was  offered  twenty -five  dollars,  a  few  days 
after  he  received  them.  The  Cock  weighed  about  nine  pounds, 
perhaps  a  little  more,  and  the  Pullet  nearly  six  pounds. 
They  were  the  most  perfect  in  model  of  any  bird  of  the  kind 
I  had  ever,  seen.  Of  the  larger  variety,  Mr.  Devereux  of  Bos- 
ton, has  a  pair :  the  Cock  is  a  noble  fellow,  indeed.  Mr.  H. 
Lawrence,  of  Mobile,  also  obtained  some  of  me,  with  which  he 
expressed  himself  as  well  pleased.  So  also  Mr.  Taggart,  of 
Northumberland,  Pa., ;  Mr.  Hugh  Wilson,  of  South  Carolina; 
Mr.  Evans,  of  Baltimore ;  Mr.  Knorr,  of  West  Philadelphia ; 
Rev.  Mr.  Goddard,  and  Messrs.  Remington,  and  E.  R.  Cope,  of 
Philadelphia ;  besides  many  others  whose  names  I  cannot  now 
recall ;  and  all  of  whom,  so  far  as  I  know,  are  perfectly 
fied  with  them. 


152  THE    COCHIN     CHINA     FOWL. 

Of  this  so  much  and  deservedly  lauded  Fowl;  Mr.  Dixoa 


Whether  the  breed  now  under  consideration  did  really 
come  from  Cochin  China  or  not,  is  probably  known  only  to  the 
party  who  imported  them,  if  to  him.  But  they  certainly  have 
been  cultivated  in  this  country  previously  to  their  recent  intro- 
duction to  general  notice  as  the  most  conspicuous  ornaments  of 
the  Royal  poultry-yard.  A  gentleman  (W.  S.)  living  in  Mon« 
mouthshire,  informs  me  that,  nearly  thirty  years  ago,  a  friend 
sent  him  a  Cock  and  Hen  of  the  "true  Java  breed."  The 
Cock  was  so  fine,  large,  and  handsome,  that  he  was  immedi- 
ately made  "  Cock  of  the  walk/'  The  present  stock  on  that 
farm,  which  I  have  seen,  are  entirely  his  descendants,  and  are 
true  Cochin  China-  Fowls;  so  that,  in  this  case,  "  Java"  and 
"  Cochin  China"  are  synonymous.  The  first  parents  of  this 
lot  came  direct  from  India.  But  from  whatever  Oriental  re- 
gion derived,  it  is  a  most  valuable  variety,  and  the  only  fear 
is  that  statements  of  its  merits  have  been  set  forth  so  highly 
exaggerated,  that  they  must  lead  to  disappointment,  and  cause 
the  breed  to  be  as  much  undeservedly  underrated,  as  it  had 
been  before  foolishly  extolled. 

The  size  and  weight  ascribed  to  them  are  enormous.  To 
give  an  idea  of  their  height  and  magnitude,  they  have  been 
styled  the  Ostrich  Fowl.  It  is  an  old,  but  very  bad  system  of 
giving  names,  to  affix  that  of  some  other  creature,  indicating 
certain  supposed  qualities ;  for  such  titles  are  apt  to  induce  no- 
tions of  relationship,  or  hybridity,  which  are  not  easily  dis- 
lodged from  the  minds  of  many  people.  The  Cochin  China 
Fowls  have  been  averred,  in  the  Agricultural  Gazette,  (Sept.  30, 
1848 ,)  to  weigh,  the  male  birds  from  twelve  to  fifteen  pounds, 
the  Hens  from  nine  to  ten  pounds.  They  certainly  must  be 
very  fine  indeed  :  for  the  weights  specified  are  those  of  respect- 
able Turkeys,  not  of  Fowls.  My  own  Cochin  China  Fowls, 
obtained  from  the  Messrs.  Baker,  now  about  eighteen  months 


THE    COCHIN     CHINA    FOWL.  153 

old,  weighed,  the  Cock  six  pounds  five  ounces,  the  Hen  four 
pounds  six  ounces.  Some  allowance  must  be  made  for  the 
circumstance  that  both  were  moulting,  and  that  the  Hen  had 
laid  fairly  during  the  season,  and  had  not  yet  (Oct.  4)  relin- 
quished the  charge  of  her  second  brood  of  Chickens.  She 
laid  exactly  three  dozen  Eggs  in  the  spring,  and  then  sat.  Af- 
ter rearing  her  Chicks  admirably,  she  again  laid  a  smaller  num- 
ber of  Eggs,  and  sat.  The  best  Cockerel  and  Pullet  of  the 
brood  hatched  April  5th,  and  which  had  only  ordinary  care 
and  feeding  bestowed  upon  them,  weighed,  on  Oct.  4,  five 
pounds  eight  ounces,  and  three  pounds  and  thirteen  ounces,  re- 
spectively. 

The  reader  will  be  better  able  to  judge  what  weights  Fowls 
may  be  reasonably  expected  to  attain,  after  the  inspection  of 
the  following  lists  of  the  live  weights  of  various  Poultry,  with 
which  I  have  been  obligingly  favoured.  But  as  the  birds  were 
generally  out  of  condition,  in  consequence  of  their  being 
mostly  at  that  time  on  the  moult,  and  also  from  the  previous 
wet  season,  the  weights  are  less  than  they  would  be  under  more 
favourable  circumstances. 

One  list  (H.  II.)  gives — 

LBS.  oz. 

"  Black  Polish  Cock,  three  years  old 5  3 

Ditto  Hen                        ditto 3  4 

Ditto  Pullet 2  6 

Golden  Polish  Cock 5  0 

Ditto  Hen 3  8 

Another  Hen 3  10 

Gulden  Polish  Pullet 2  8 

Malay  Hen 3  12 

Creole  (Silver  Hamburgh)  Hen 3  1 

Black  Nondescript  Hen 4  10 

Globe-crested  Polish  Hen 3  9 

Silver  Polish  Hen 3  4 


154  THE     COCHIN     CHINA    FOWL. 

IBS.       OZ, 

Game  Cock 4  10 

Ditto  Hen 3  0 

Young  Blue  Dun  Cock 3  6 

Blue  Dun  Hen 3  0 

Large  Dun  Hybrid  Hen 3  8 

"  Among  these,  the  Malay  Hen  was  moulting,  and  not  up 
to  her  usual  weight  by  nearly  a  pound.  It  will  be  observed 
that  there  is  a  great  relative  difference  between  the  Pullets  and 
the  grown  Hens  of  the  Polish  breed.  All  the  Polish  increase 
much  in  size  and  beauty  the  second  moult." 

Another  list  kindly  furnished  by  Mr.  Alfred  Whitaker, 
gives — 

LBS.       OZ. 

"  Pheasant-Malay  Cocks,  two  years  old,  average  each 7  0 

Ditto  Cockerel,  five  months  old 7  0 

Ditto  Hen 5  1 

Ditto  Pullet,  seventeen  months  old 5  3 

Ditto  (crossed  with  Dorking  Hen),  four  years  old 5  8 

Speckled  Surrey  Hen,  two  years  old 5  12 

Spanish  Hen 5  0 

Two  Dorking  Cocks,  each 7  0 

Ditto  Hens 6  8 

Ditto  ditto 6  12 

Cock  Turkey,  two  years  and  a  half  old 17  12 

Hen  dittto,  one  year  and  a  half  old 10  0 

Ditto  ditto 9  9 

Musk  Drake  (moulting) 9  12 

"  The  Dorkings  belong  to  a  neighbour,  and  are  very  fine 
ones.  The  Hens,  it  will  be  seen,  approach  nearer  to  the  weight 
of  the  Cocks  than  is  the  case  with  the  Pheasant-Malays.  The 
Spanish  Hen  is  about  to  moult,  and  is  rather  under  weight." 

Our  own  Poultry -yard  furnishes  these  : — 


THE     COCHIN     CHINA     FOWL.  155 

LBS.       OZ. 

Turkey  Cock,  sixteen  months  old  16  0 

Ditto  Hen,  three  or  four  years  old 8  6 

White  China  Gander,  six  years  old 12  13 

White  China  Goose 11  13 

Common  China  Goose,  Cynb'ides,  six  years  old 10  10 

Cochin  China  Cock,  about  sixteen  months  old,  moulting  6  5 

Ditto  Hen ditto ditto 4  6 

Malay  Cock ditto ditto 6  14 

Ditto  Hen ditto ditto 4  8 

Pheasant  Malay  Cock 5  7 

Ditto  Malay  Hen,  moulting 3  8 

Game  Cockerel,  about  five  months  old 4  2 

Golden  Hamburgh  Cockerel,  just  arrived  from  a  long 

journey,  about  five  months  old 3  8 

Ditto  Pullet ditto ditto 2  4 

Cochin  China  Cockerel,  six  months  old 4  14 

Another  ditto 4  13£ 

Silver  Hamburgh  Cockerel,  after  travelling,  about 

five  months  old t 3  1 

Ditto  Pullet ditto ditto 2  8 

Black  Polish  Hen  moulting 3  0 

Golden  Hamburgh,  ditto 2  3 

Andalusian  Cockerel,  four  months  old 3  8 

Ditto  Pullet ditto 2  6J 

Black  Spanish  Cockerel ditto 2  11 

Ditto  Pullet ditto 2  11 

Silver  Polish  Cockerel,  four  months  and  a  half  old 2  14£ 

Golden  Poland  Pullet,  about  five  months  old 2  8 

White-crested  Golden  Poland  Pullet,  ditto  2  3 

It  will  appear  from  the  foregoing,  that  for  a  Cock,  of  any 
breed,  to  reach  seven  and  a  half  pounds,  even  live  weight,  he 
must  be  an  unusually  fine  bird ;  but  this  has  to  be  doubled 
before  we  can  rival  the  Cochin  China  specimens  above  men- 
tioned. I  have  never  yet  seen  Cocks  and  Hens  weighing  fif- 
teen pounds  and  ten  pounds,  respectively  :  those  most  nearly 
approaching  these  weights  have  been  Malays,  not  Cochin  Chi- 
nas— ancient  and  venerable  birds,  looking  old  enough  and  tough 


156  THE     COCHIN     CHINA    FOWL. 

enough  to  have  performed  the  migration  from  India  on  foot. 
It  has  also  been  incorrectly  asserted  that  lt  the  disposition  of 
the  feathers  on  the  back  of  the  Cock's  neck  is  reversed,  these 
being  turned  upwards;  the  wing  is  jointed,  so  that  the  poste- 
rior half  can,  at  pleasure,  be  doubled  up,  and  brought  forward 
between  the  anterior  half  and  the  body  :"  the  only  foundation 
for  which  absurdity  is,  that,  in  some  of  the  half-grown  Cocke- 
rels, certain  feathers,  the  wing-coverts,  curl  forwards ;  but  the 
curling  disappears  with  the  complete  growth  of  the  plumage.* 
But  the  long  bow  is  stretched  even  yet  a  little  further  :  "  they 
sometimes  lay  two,  and  even  three  Eggs  a  day,  and  that  within 
a  few  seconds  of  each  other."  No  doubt  of  it;  however  phy- 
siologically improbable  the  performance  of  such  a  feat  may  be. 
And  an  American  newspaper  kindly  informs  us  how  other 
Hens  may  be  taught  to  follow  so  good  an  example.  "  A  cute 
Yankee  has  invented  a  nest,  in  the  bottom  of  which  there  is  a 
kind  of  trap-door,  through  which  the  Egg,  when  laid,  imme- 
diately drops;  and  the  Hen,  looking  round,  and  perceiving 


*  Mr.  Bissell  further  explains  the  mystery  :  "I  had  a  Cockerel  that 
•was  unusually  slow  in  getting  his  feathers,  and,  as  may  be  expected, 
was  very  much  pinched  with  the  cold ;  he  would  frequently  squat 
down  upon  the  straw  in  a  shed,  to  rest  himself,  and  perhaps  for 
•warmth  also  (which  is  a  very  usual  thing  for  them  to  do)  ;  and  in 
that  position  I  have  frequently  seen  him,  in  the  effort  to  keep  him- 
self warm  with  the  few  flight-feathers  that  lie  already  had,  turn  them 
under  his  wing  and  against  his  body,  which  I  have  no  doubt  has 
given  rise  to  misrepresentation.  I  have  carefully  examined  him,  and 
can  testify  that  the  conformation  of  his  wings  is  the  same  as  in  all 
other  Fowls,  and  now  he  is  older  and  better  feathered,  he  never 
places  the  feathers  of  his  wing  in  the  position  I  have  now  described. 

"  I  find  among  my  Cochins  some  feather-legged  specimens  ;  and 
others  that  I  have  seen,  which  came  from  Windsor  direct,  have  some 
of  them  the  same  appendages ;  and  I  believe  them  to  be  quite  pure 
notwithstanding." 


THE  COCHIN  CHINA  FOWL.        157 

none,  soon  lays  another !"  Natural  History  has  a  hard  strag- 
gle to  come  at  correct  conclusions  in  this  department  of  orni- 
thology. 

The  Cochin  China  Cock  has  a  large,  upright,  single,  deeply- 
indented  comb,  very  much  resembling  that  of  the  Black 
Spanish,  and,  when  in  high  condition,  of  quite  as  brilliant  a 
scarlet ;  like  him  also,  he  has  a  very  large  white  ear-lobe  on 
each  cheek.*  The  wattles  are  large,  wide,  and  pendent.  The 
legs  are  of  a  pale  flesh-colour :  some  specimens  have  them 
yellow,  which  is  objectionable.  The  feathers  on  the  breast 
and  sides  are  of  a  bright  chesnut-brown,  large  and  well-defined, 
giving  a  scaly  or  imbricated  appearance  to  those  parts.  The 
hackle  of  the  neck  is  of  a  light  yellowish  brown ;  the  lower 
feathers  beiDg  tipped  with  dark  brown,  so  as  to  give  a  spotted 
appearance  to  the  neck.  The  tail  feathers  are  black,  and 
darkly  iridescent;  back,  scarlet-orange;  back-hackle,  yellow- 
orange.  It  is,  in  short,  altogether  a  flame-coloured  bird.  Both 
sexes  are  lower  in  the  leg  than  either  the  Black  Spanish  or 
the  Malay. 

The  Hen  approaches  in  her  build  more  nearly  to  the  Dork- 
ing than  any  other,  except  that  the  tail  is  very  small  and  pro- 
portionately depressed  :  it  is  smaller,  and  more  horizontal,  I 
think,  than  in  any  other  Fowl.  Her  comb  is  moderate-sized, 
almost  small;  she  has  also  a  small  white  ear-lobe.  Her 
colouring  is  flat,  being  composed  of  various  shades  of  very 
light  brown,  with  light  yellow  on  the  neck.  Her  appearance 
is  quiet,  and  only  attracts  attention  by  its  extreme  neatness, 
cleanness,  and  compactness.  My  male  bird  has  two  claws  on 


*  "I  have  seen  a  great  many  Cochin  Fowl,  and  have  observed 
that  but  few  of  them  had  white  ear-lobes ;  I  therefore  conclude  that 
it  is  not  an  indispensible,  if  even  a  required  qualification."  J. 
BisselL — It  is,  however,  to  be  preferred,  for  beauty  at  least,  if  not  aa 
a  mark  of  pure  blood. 

14 


158  THE    COCHIN    CHINA    FOWL. 

the  toe  of  one  foot — a  peculiarity  which  is  inherited  by  some 
of  the  chickens. 

The  Eggs  average  about  2  oz.  each.  They  are  smooth,  of 
an  oval,  nearly  equally  rounded  at  each  end,  and  of  a  rich 
buff  colour,  nearly  resembling  those  of  the  Silver  Pheasant. 
The  new-hatched  Chicks  appear  very  large  in  proportion  to  the 
size  of  the  Eggs.  They  have  light  flesh-coloured  bill,  feet,  and 
legs,  and  are  thickly  covered  with  down,  of  the  hue  vulgarly 
called  "  carrotty."  They  are  not  less  thrifty  than  other  chick- 
ens, and  feather  somewhat  more  uniformly  than  either  Black 
Spanish  or  Malay.  Nevertheless,  it  is  most  desirable  to  hatch 
these,  as  well  as  other  large-growing  sorts,  as  early  in  the  spring 
as  possible;  even  so  soon  as  the  end  of  February.  And  it 
deserves  consideration,  whether  those  breeders  are  not  the 
wisest,  who  do  not  allow  their  Hens  to  hatch  chickens  after 
midsummer.  A  peculiarity  in  the  Cockerels  is,  that  they  do 
not  show  even  the  rudiments  of  their  tail  feathers  till  they  are 
nearly  full  grown.  They  increase  so  rapidly  in  other  direc- 
tions, that  there  is  no  material  to  spare  for  the  production  of 
these  decorative  appendages.  A  gentleman,  to  whom  I  sent  a 
pair,  wrote  word  that  one  of  the  Fowls  had  had  the  misfortune 
to  lose  his  tail  on  the  journey.  An  Egg  hatched  at  a  distance 
was  said  to  have  produced  something  more  like  an  Eaglet  than 
a  Chicken.  The  Pullets  are  less  backward  in  shooting  their 
tails ;  and  this  distinction  alone  is  sufficient  to  denote  the  re- 
spective sexes  at  a  very  early  age.  The  Cockerel  is  later  than 
others  in  commencing  to  crow. 

The  merits  of  this  breed  are  such,  that  it  may  safely  be 
recommended  to  persons  residing  in  the  country.  For  the 
inhabitants  of  towns  it  is  less  desirable,  as  the  light  tone  of  its 
plumage  would  show  every  mark  of  dirt  or  defilement,  and 
also  the  readiness  with  which  they  sit  would  be  an  inconve- 
nience, rather  than  not,  in  families  with  whom  everlasting  layers 
are  most  in  requisition.  At  present,  they  are  too  expensive  to 


THE    COCHIN    CHINA    FOWL.  159 

have  had  their  edible  qualities  much  tested.  Most  persons 
would  prefer  gratifying  a  friend  with  the  living,  rather  than 
their  own  palate  with  the  dead  birds.  But  they  are  equal  or 
superior  to  any  other  Fowl  for  the  table :  their  flesh  is  deli- 
cate, white,  tender,  and  well-flavoured. 

The  Cochin  China  Fowl  are  said  to  have  been  presented  to 
her  Majesty,  Queen  Victoria,  from  the  East  Indies,  and,  by 
her  liberality,  imparted  to  such  persons  in  the  country  as  were 
likely  properly  to  appreciate  them.  It  is  delightful  to  see  so 
good  an  example  in  communicating  a  valuable  stock,  and  also 
in  aiding  Natural  History  by  making  no  secret  of  the  source 
whence  it  was  derived,  although,  as  we  have  seen,  they  are 
really  no  novelty.  The  shape  and  size  of  the  Eggs  of  the 
Cochin  China  Fowl,  their  qualifications  as  layers  and  mothers, 
the  frequency  of  the  fifth  toe*  among  them,  and  their  general 
build  and  carriage,  point  out  their  very  near  relationship  to 
the  Dorkings  :  they  are,  in  truth,  the  Dorkings  of  India.  In 
the  west  of  England  there  has  lately  been  introduced  an  extra- 
sized  variety  of  Fowl  called  the  American,  (and  really  im- 
ported from  America,)  but  derived  from  what  original  source 
we  cannot  yet  trace.  These,  however,  do  not  exhibit  marks 
of  much  distinctness  of  race  or  purity  of  blood,  except  their 
vast  bulk,  but  display  traces  of  both  the  Malay  and  the  Cochin 
China  type,  inclining  in  the  best  specimens  to  the  latter,  with 
a  probable  intermixture  of  Dorking  or  Spanish  blood.  Such 
birds,  except  during  their  early  youth,  would  suit  the  purposes 
of  Chinese  cooks,  with  whom  sinews  and  tendons  form  the 
great  delicacies  of  the  table,  rather  than  of  English  artists, 
who  prefer  to  exercise  their  skill  on  what  will  furnish  a  suffi- 
ciency of  tender  meat.  Still,  they  suggest  the  idea  that  it  may 
be  found  more  profitable,  in  crossing  for  the  larder,  to  cioss 
constantly  two  large  breeds,  than  to  go  on  with  one  pure 
breed ;  exactly  as,  in  raising  a  supply  of  sheep  for  the  butcher, 
the  first  cross  between  the  Leicester  and  the  Southdown 


160  THE     COCHIN     CHINA    FOWL. 

answers  so  well.     So,  we  will  quote  the  song  of  Hecate,  and 
chant  over  the  poultry  yard, 

"Black  spirits  and  white, 

Red  spirits  and  grey, 
Mingle,  mingle,  mingle, 
You  that  mingle  may." 

Another  Chinese  Cock,  as  the  old  naturalists  would  an- 
nounce it.  Dr  Bevan,  of  Machynlleth,  Montgomeryshire,  has 
favoured  me  with  the  following  : — a  I  only  commenced  keep- 
ing Fowls  last  year,  (1847,)  when  a  hen,  purchased  for  the  pot, 
stole  a  nest  in  the  field.  Having  heard  of  a  particular  breed, 
brought  from  China  as  a  present  to  the  late  Sir  Robert 
Vaughan,  which  were  said  to  be  capital  layers,  very  much  dis- 
posed to  become  fat,  with  the  flesh  delicately  white,  approach- 
ing in  flavour  to  that  of  game,  I  begged  the  favour  of  a  few 
Eggs,  and  was  able  to  rear  two  Cocks  and  two  Hens.  When 
hatched,  and  for  several  weeks  afterwards,  they  looked  more 
like  young  Ducklings  than  young  Chickens,  and  their  feathers 
were  pushed  forth  so  slowly  that,  even  when  a  month  old, 
there  was  very  little  appearance  of  wings,  and  none  of  tails, 
and  it  was  another  month  before  they  were  able  to  fly  half  a 
yard  high.  The  two  brothers  continued  very  amicable  till 
they  were  six  or  seven  months  old ;  at  that  age,  the  strongest 
began  to  tyrannize,  so  I  gave  him  to  a  friend.  The  Hens 
began  to  lay  when  between  five  and  six  months  old,  and  they 
have  continued  to  lay  almost  daily  ever  since.  The  Eggs,  at 
first,  were  very  small,  but  have  been  slowly  increasing,  and 
at  this  time  they  weigh  about  an  ounce  and  a  quarter;  one 
Hen  lays  perfectly  white  Eggs,  the  others  are  cream-coloured, 
and  both  are  of  a  dumpy  oval  shape.  The  Hens  still  retain 
a  somewhat  peculiar  appearance,  having  stout  legs  and  thighs, 
and  being  almost  as  broad  as  long.  The  tails  continue  short, 
not  half  the  usual  length ;  but  the  Cock,  who  is  a  very  fine, 


THE    COCHIN    CHINA    FOWL.  161 

handsome  fellow,  has  but  little  peculiarity  about  him,  only 
being,  like  the  Hens,  of  smaller  size  than  the  Barn-door 
Fowls.  They  are  remarkably  tame,  indeed,  rather  troublesome, 
depending,  in  part,  perhaps,  on  the  manner  in  which  they 
have  been  brought  up.  They  all  seek  the  shelter  of  a  building 
by  night,  and  one  of  the  Hens  never  roosts,  but  sits  all  night 
upon  her  nest.  From  what  I  have  said,  you  will  infer  that,  as 
yet,  I  have  not  tasted  the  flesh  of  this  variety,  nor  shall,  of 
course,  till  next  autumn ;  but,  as  the  other  character  I  had  of 
them  is  correct,  I  give  credit  for  that  also.  There  is  another 
Chinese  variety  in  the  neighbourhood,  the  bones  of  which  are 
said  to  be  black. 

"  I  will  endeavour  to  describe  my  China  Cock.  He  is  of 
not  more  than  moderate  size.  His  comb  is  single,  erect,  and 
finely  serrated,  his  shawl-feathers  of  a  brilliant  gold-colour, 
reaching,  when  he  stands  up,  nearly  the  length  of  his  body, 
and  joining,  at  that  time,  a  few  rows  of  feathers  of  the  same 
colour,  which  extend  to  the  tail,  which  is  jet  black,  with  the 
feathers  finely  curled  and  in  moderate  quantity  '}  his  body  is 
of  a  brilliant  chestnut-colour,  his  thighs  and  breast  black,  but 
spangled  with  pale  chestnut  patches.  The  thighs  of  both  sexes 
are  remarkably  full-feathered,  which  gives  them  a  great  ap- 
parent breadth." 

Another.  "  I  lately  saw  a  Chinese  Cock,  with  a  rose  comb, 
and  the  plumage  of  the  golden-spangled  Hamburgh;  his 
legs  were  yellow,  or  he  might  be  taken  for  one  of  that  breed." 
S.  W. 

14* 


162 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

THE   MALAY  FOWL — SOMETIMES    (THOUGH   ERRONEOUSLY) 

CALLED  CHITTAGONQ.  (See  Portraits  of  each.) 

THIS  is  a  majestic  bird,  and  is  found  on  the  Peninsula  from 
which  it  derives  its  name.  Its  weight,  in  general,  exceeds 
that  of  the  Cochin  China,  the  male  weighing,  when  full  grown, 
from  eleven  to  twelve,  or  even  thirteen  pounds,  and  the  female 
from  eight  to  ten  pounds ; — height,  from  twenty-six  to  twenty- 
eight  inches.  They  present  no  striking  uniformity  of  plumage, 
being  of  all  shades,  from  black  to  white }  the  more  common 
colour  of  the  female  is  a  light  reddish-yellow,  and  I  have  ob- 
served a  mere  suspicion  of  dunnish-blue,  especially  in  the  tail. 
The  Cock  is  frequently  of  a  yellowish-red  colour,  with  black  in- 
termingled in  the  breast,  thighs,  and  tail.  He  has  a  small,  but 
thick  comb,  as  seen  in  the  portrait,  generally  inclined  to  one 
side  :  he  should  be  snake-headed,  and  free  from  the  slightest 
trace  of  top-knot ;  the  wattles  should  be  extremely  small,  even 
in  an  old  bird ;  the  legs  are  not  feathered,  as  in  the  case  of  the 
Shanghaes^but,  like  them  and  the  Cochin  Chinas,  his  tail  is 
small  compared  with  his  size.  In  the  female,  there  is  scarcely 
any  show  of  comb  or  wattles.  Their  legs  are  long  and  stout ; 
and  their  flesh  is  very  well  flavoured,  when  they  have  been  pro- 
perly fattened;  and  their  Eggs  are  so  large  and  rich,  that  two 
of  them  are  equal  to  three  of  those  of  our  ordinary  Fowls. 


ME.    E.    R.     COPE'S    MALAYS. 

(Imported.) 


THE     MALAY     FOWL.  163 

The  Malay  Cock,  in  his  perfection,  is  a  remarkably  courageous 
and  strong  bird.  His  beak  is  remarkably  thick,  and  he  is  a 
formidable  antagonist  when  offended.  His  crow  is  loud,  harsh, 
not  prolonged,  as  in  the  case  of  the  Cochin  China,  but  broken 
off  abruptly  at  the  termination  :  this  is  quite  characteristic  of 
the  bird. 

E.  R.  Cope,  Esq.,  of  this  place,  has  some  beautiful  specimens 
of  the  Malay,  which  he  imported  direct  from  the  Messrs.  Baker, 
of  Chelsea,  England,  who  warrant  them  perfectly  pure,  and 
good  specimens.  Mr.  Cope  kindly  furnished  the  account  of 
them  in  a  preceding  chapter. 

Mr.  Dixon.  says  this  breed  is  in  high  repute  with  many 
writers,  as  a  supposed  connecting  link  between  the  wild  and 
the  tame  races  of  Fowls.  Indeed,  something  very  like  them 
is  still  to  be  found  in  the  East ;  and  it  would  be  useful  to 
know,  as  a  certain  test,  whether  the  Kulm  Cock  be  indocile, 
like  the  Pheasant,  or  tameable,  like  the  Fowl.  The  Penny 
Cyclopaedia  (article  "  Pheasant")  gives  the  following  description 
of  the  native  Indian  bird  : — 

"  The  Giyantic  Cock,  the  Kulm  Cock  of  Europeans,  (a  wild 
breed,)  often  stands  considerably  more  than  two  feet  from  the 
crown  of  the  head  to  the  ground.  The  comb  extends  back- 
wards in  a  line  with  the  eyes ;  it  is  thick,  a  little  elevated, 
rounded  upon  the  top,  and  has  almost  the  appearance  of  having 
been  cut  off.  The  wattles  of  the  under  mandibles  are  com- 
paratively small,  and  the  throat  is  bare.  Pale  golden-reddish 
hackles  ornament  the  head,  neck,  and  upper  part  of  the  back, 
and  some  of  these  spring  before  the  bare  part  of  the  throat. 
Middle  of  the  back  and  lesser  wing-coverts  deep  chestnut,  the 
webs  of  the  feathers  disunited;  pale  reddish-yellow,  long 
drooping  hackles  cover  the  rump  and  base  of  the  tail,  which 
last  is  very  ample,  and  entirely  of  a  glossy  green,  of  which 
colour  are  the  wing-coverts ;  the  secondaries  and  quills  are  pale 
reddish-yellow  on  their  outer  webs.*  All  the  under  parts  deep 


164  THE     MALAY     FOWL. 

glossy  blackish-green,  with  high  reflections  :  the  deep  chestnut 
of  the  base  of  the  feathers  appears  occasionally,  and  gives  a 
mottled  and  interrupted  appearance  to  those  parts."  (Jardine 
principally.) 

Here  is  a  description  of  some  Malay  Fowl  supplied  by 
Messrs.  Baker  : 

Malay  Cock. — Height  twenty-seven  inches  and  a  half. 
Comb  small,  double,  hanging  over  on  one  side  in  front,  and  ex- 
tended in  a  line  backwards.  Bill  yellowish,  feet  and  legs  de- 
cided yellow;  hackle  greyish-yellow  ;  breast,  belly,  and 'thighs 
black;  back  and  shoulders  rich  brown  ;  wing-coverts  iridescent 
black ;  quill  feathers  the  same,  but  having  half  of  the  outer 
web  on  one  side  of  the  quill  mottled  with  white  ;  wattles  almost 
absent ;  tail  iridescent  black ;  stature  lofty ;  voice  particularly 
sonorous,  and  somewhat  hoarse. 

Malay  Hen. — Comb  very  small,  but  face  much  covered  with 
red  skin.  Bill,  legs,  and  feet  yellow ;  head,  neck,  back,  tail, 
and  quills  of  a  rich  brown ;  the  lower  parts  and  thighs  of  a 
lighter  hue  ;  neck  long ;  stature  and  carriage  lofty ;  head  small 
in  proportion  to  the  size  of  the  bird. 

It  may  be  suspected  that  Malays  are  underrated  in  impor- 
tance by  Poultry-keepers,  as  much  as  they  are  overrated  by  na- 
turalists. The  common  prejudice  condemns  their  flesh  as 
coarse,  stringy,  oily,  and  ill-flavoured.  But  it  is  a  question 
whether  many  of  those  who  pronounce  this  unfavourable  judg- 
ment have  ever  dined  off  so  costly  a  dish  as  roast  Malay  Fowl. 
First-rate  Malays  are  exceedingly  dear  in  London.  -  I  have 
heard  of  as  much  as  51.  being  asked  for  a  superior  Cock;  but, 
then,  he  was  to  be  "as  big  as  a  Donkey."  It  is  odd,  too,  that 
what  is  so  faulty  in  an  unmixed  state,  should  be  highly  recom- 
mended as  a  first  cross.  The  yellowness  of  their  skin  may  be 
displeasing  to  the  eye  of  a  purchaser ;  but  many  of  the  finest- 
flavoured  Game  Fowls  have  this  quality,  and  both  Pheasants 


THE     MALAY    FOWL.  165 

and  Guinea  Fowls,  when  plucked  for  the  spit,  are  much  more 
uninviting  in  their  appearance.  It  will  be  a  pity  if  the  Ma- 
lays go  out  of  fashion  altogether,  and  become  lost  to  the 
country,  like  the  Shackbags,  in  consequence  of  the  introduction 
of  the  more  bepraised,  and,  it  must  be  confessed,  much  more 
generally  useful,  Cochin  Chinas.  The  Poultry  Shows,  how- 
ever, in  which  their  striking  appearance  is  so  valuable,  promise 
again  to  bring  them  perhaps  into  undue  favour.  They  are 
certainly  a  very  distinct  race  of  Fowls. 

The  Malay  Hen  lays  Eggs  of  a  good  size,  and  of  a  rich  buff 
or  brown  colour,  which  are  much  prized  by  the  numerous  epi- 
cures who  believe  that  this  hue  indicates  richness  of  flavour — 
a  fact  which  has  not  yet  been  made  sensible  to  my  own  palate. 
The  Chicks  are  at  first  very  strong,  with  yellow  legs,  and  are 
thickly  covered  with  light-brown  down  ;  but,  by  the  time  they 
are  one-third  grown,  the  increase  of  their  bodies  has  so  far  out- 
stripped that  of  their  feathers,  that  they  are  half  naked  about 
the  back  and  shoulders,  and  extremely  susceptible  of  cold  and 
wet.  The  grand  secret  of  rearing  them,  is  to  have  them 
hatched  very  early  indeed,  so  that  they  may  have  got  through 
this  period  of  unclothed  adolescence  during  the  dry,  sunny 
part  of  May  and  June,  and  reached  nearly  their  full  stature 
before  the  midsummer  rains  descend. 

The  disposition  of  Malay  Hens  is  very  variously  described : 
doubtlessly  with  truth  in  the  different  cases.  One  set — "  long 
in  the  leg,  creamy  brown  with  darker  necks,  were  very  ill- 
tempered  ;  another  individual,  of  a  rich  creamy  brown  and 
grey  neck,  and  very  broad  on  the  back,  was  an  invaluable  sit- 
ter and  mother.  They  are  much  used  by  some  to  hatch  the 
eggs  of  Turkeys,  a  task  for  which  they  are  well  adapted  in 
every  respect  but  one,  which  is,  that  they  will  follow  their  na- 
tural instinct  in  turning  off  their  Chicks  at  the  usual  time,  in  - 
stead  of  retaining  charge  of  them  as  long  as  the  mother  Turkey 


166  THE     MALAY    FOWL. 

would.  Goslings  would  suffer  less  from  such  untimely  de- 
sertion." 

I  cannot  refrain  from  mentioning  a  singular  babit  that  has 
been  observed  in  some  individuals  of  this  breed:  "  A  multi- 
tude of  facts  has  convinced  me  how  wonderful  is  the  hereditary 
principle  in  the  minds  or  instincts  of  animals ;  but  some  facts 
have  made  me  suspect  that  we  sometimes  put  down  to  heredi- 
tariness  what  is  due  to  imitation.  I  will  give  an  instance  :  a 
good  observer  and  breeder  told  me  he  had  noticed  that  an  Eastern 
breed  of  Poultry,  (Malay,  I  think,)  imported  by  Lord  Powis, 
though  then  reared  during  several  generations  in  this  country, 
always  went  to  roost  for  a  short  time  in  mid-day,"  (of  course, 
instinctively,  to  avoid  the  noontide  heats  at  home.)  "  Hence 
(if  the  fact  be  true,  and  I  rarely  believe  any  thing  without  con- 
firmation,) I  concluded  that  this  habit  was  probably  hereditary ; 
but,  mentioning  this  fact  to  a  lady  who  had  some  Eastern  breed, 
she  said  she  believed  she  had  noticed  the  same  peculiarity,  but 
with  this  addition,  that  some  chickens  reared  under  the  East- 
ern Hen  followed  (she  knew  not  for  how  long)  the  same  habit  $ 
if  so,  we  clearly  see  that  it  may  be  a  merely  handed-down  prac- 
tice, and  not  hereditary.  To  test  it,  the  Eastern  eggs  ought  to 
have  been  hatched  under  a  common  Hen;  but  my  first  in- 
formant is  now  dead.  This  point,  though  trifling,  is  really 
curious." — C.  D. 

I  certainly  have  noticed  Hens  of  various  breeds  occasionally 
retiring  to  roost  for  a  mid-day  nap ;  but  never  knew  any  make 
a  common  practice  of  it.  Domestic  Fowls  have  this  peculiar 
whim  :  when  they  are  compelled,  by  rain,  snow,  or  severe 
frost,  to  take  shelter  during  the  day,  they  do  not  retire  to  their 
dormitory,  the  hen-house,  where  they  sleep  at  night,  but  pre- 
fer some  other  building  to  which  they  can  have  access  and  us« 
as  a  drawing-room,  and  from  which  they  will  adjourn  to  bed, 
when  the  proper  time  comes. 


THE    MALAY    FOWL.  167 

"  I  saw  a  lot  of  Black  Malay  Hens  in  Hungerford  market, 
and  with  them  a  red  Cock  with  a  black  breast  and  tail ;  the 
quills  of  his  tail  were  white.  I  was  at  first  inclined  to  think 
that  they  had  a  cross  of  the  Spanish;  but  when  I  recol- 
lected to  have  seen  Fowls  of  exactly  the  same  appearance, 
though  somewhat  smaller,  in  Devon,  I  changed  my  opinion." — 
J.  S.  W. 


168 


CHAPTER  IX. 

THE   PHEASANT- MALAY  FOWli. 

THIS  variety,  together  with  some  of  the  Hamburghs,  may 
claim  the  sad  pre-eminence  of  having  given  occasion  to  more 
disputes  than  any  bird  of  its  tribe,  always  excepting  the  Game 
Cock.  It  is  highly  valued  by  many  farmers,  not  on  account  of 
its  intrinsic  merits,  which  are  considerable,  but  because  they 
believe  it  to  be  a  cross  between  the  Pheasant  and  .the  common 
Fowl,  than  which  nothing  can  be  more  erroneous.  The  Pul- 
lets and  Cockerels  are  excellent  for  the  table,  and,  when  brought 
to  market,  meet  with  a  ready  sale,  less  because  they  are  really 
fine  birds,  than  because  the  seller  assures  his  customers,  in 
perfect  sincerity,  that  they  are  half-bred  Pheasants;  and  the 
buyer  readily  pays  his  money  down,  thinking  that  he  has  got 
a  nice  Fowl,  and  a  taste  of  Pheasant  into  the  bargain — some- 
thing like  the  Frenchman,  who  was  delighted  at  breakfast,  on 
finding  that  he  was  eating  a  little  chicken,  when  he  had  only 
paid  for  an  egg. 

So  gross  an  error  in  Natural  History  ought  to  be  cleared 
away,  as  a  belief  in  it  might  cause  disappointment  to  Poultry- 
fanciers  )  and  particularly  since  the  able  author  of  "  British 
Husbandry"  has  given  the  weight  of  his  authority  to  the  no- 
tion. He  speaks  of  the  a  hybrid  between  the  Hen  and  the 
Pheasant  having  succeeded •"  and  adds :  "  Their  flesh,  how- 
ever, has  so  much  of  the  game-flavour  of  the  Pheasant,  coupled 


THE     PHEASANT-MALAY     FOWL.  169 

with  the  juiciness  of  the  Fowl,  as  to  be  greatly  prized  by  con- 
noisseurs in  good  eating ;  and  therefore  attempts  are  often 
made  to  propagate  the  breed  by  those  who  are  careless  of 
trouble  and  expense. " — Farming  for  Ladies, 

To  prevent  this  trouble  and  expense  being  thrown  away,  it 
should  be  clearly  known  that  the  Pheasant  breed  *  of  Poultry- 
fanciers  is  no  more  a  mule  between  the  Hen  and  the  Pheasant, 
than  the  Cochin  China  or  Ostrich  Fowl  is  a  half-bred  Ostrich, 
or  than  the  Bustard  breed  of  Turkeys  sprang  from  a  commix- 
ture with  the  great  Bustard.  Dr.  Latham  has  an  Owl-pigeon 
and  a  Turkey-pheasant  on  the  same  principle  of  nomenclature. 
The  really  half-bred  Pheasant,  which  is  indeed  obtainable  by 
trouble,  expense,  and,  above  all,  by  patience  and  perseverance, 
is  not  unfrequent  in  museums  and  collections.  Any  offspring 
of  these  mules  is  rare  :  so  that  no  breed  is  originated  j  only  a 
set  of  isolated  monsters.  Mr.  Yarrell  describes  and  figures 
several  other  mules  between  the  Pheasant  and  one  or  two  galli- 
naceous birds  nearly  allied  to  it.  Those  between  the  common 
Fowl  and  the  Pheasant  which  I  have  seen,  bore,  in  their  out- 
line, great  resemblance  to  the  genus  Nycthemerus,  the  Golden 
and  Silver"  Pheasants  :  thus  supporting  the  position  assigned 
to  those  birds  by  Mr.  Swainson,  namely,  between  the  Fowls  and 
the  Pheasants.  And  the  great  and  varied  talents  of  that  gentle- 
man must  claim  respect  from  every  student  of  Nature,  even 
though  they  may  not  be  complete  converts  to  his  circular  sys- 
tem and  quinary  arrangement.  But,  in  confirmation  of  his 
views,  it  may  be  urged  that  existence  is  not  a  chain,  a  simple 
series,  as  some  have  described  it,  but  an  infinite  net-work,  ex- 
tending in  all  directions,  developing  itself,  not  superficially,  but 
cubically,  like,  the  spherical  undulations  of  light  that  flow  from 
every  fixed  star.  Each  animated  being  is  a  portion  of  this  net- 
work ;  and  from  each,  as  from  a  centre,  may  be  traced  aflinities 

*  See  infra,  bhe  synonyms  of  the  Hamburgh  Fowls. 

15 


170  THE     PHEASANT- MALAY    FOWL. 

and  relationships  to  all  surrounding  beings  that  are  endued 
with  life. 

The  Nycthemerus  and  the  mule  Pheasant  have  tails  more  or 
less  horizontal.  The  Hen  of  the  Pheasant-Malay  carries  hers 
in  a"  particular  upright  and  hen-like  manner;  the  Cock  has 
the  curved  and  flowing  feathers  of  the  tail,  and  every  other 
mark  of  true  Gallism.  The  Pheasant-Malay  Hen  has  semi-oval 
markings  on  the  breast,  and  shining  blue-black  hackle  on  the 
neck  mixed  with  dark  brown,  which  do  bear  some  distant  re- 
semblance to  the  Plumage  of  a  Cock  Pheasant,  and  might  give 
rise  to  the  false  notion  of  her  origin;  but  a  glance  at  the  Cock 
bird  shows  how  nearly  he  is  related  to  the  Game  Fowl;  a 
closer  inspection  shows  the  affinity  of  both  to  the  ordinary 
Malays. 

"Pheasant  Fowls,"  "The  Pheasant  Breed,"  are  terms 
which  ought  to  be  at  once  discarded,  as  being  either  erroneous 
or  unmeaning,  or  rather  both.  By  these  terms  various  people 
intend  to  indicate  Golden  Hamburghs,  Silver  Hamburghs,  Po- 
landers,  and  even  Bantams,*  besides  the  subject  of  the  present 
section.  An  eminent  London  dealer  being  asked  what  breed 
of  Poultry  he  would  supply,  if  the  "  Pheasant  Breed"  were 
ordered,  replied,  that  he  did  not  know;  for  some  gentlemen 
so  called  one  sort,  and  some  another.  Indeed,  the  name  is 
vernacularly  applied  to  any  thing  that  bears  the  most  distant 
resemblance  to  a  Pheasant.  It  has  first  to  be  shown  that  there 
is  a  Pheasant  breed  of  Fowls ;  every  specimen  so  called,  that  I 
have  hitherto  seen,  being  referable  to  some  one  of  the  varieties 
mentioned  in  these  pages. 

To  pass  slightly  over  such  a  popular  error  would  be  wrong, 
because  it  involves  the  great  question  of  the  immutability  of 
species.  The  result,  then,  of  our  inquiry  is  this;  that  hybrids 


*  In  Moubray's  work,  8th  edition,  a  coloured  engraving  of  Sea- 
bright's  Spangled  is  entitled,  "  Bantam,  or  Pheasant  Fowls." 


THE    PHEASANT-MALAY    FOWL.  171 

between  the  Pheasant  and  the  Fowl  are,  for  the  most  part, 
absolutely  sterile;  that  when  they  do  breed,  it  is  not  with 
each  other,  but  with  the  stock  of  one  of  their  progenitors; 
and  that  the  offspring  of  these  either  fail,  or  assimilate  to 
one  or  other  original  type.  No  half-bred  family  is  perpe- 
tuated, no  new  breed  created  by  human  or  volucrine  agency. 

Some  believers  in  the  improvement  effected  by  Pheasants 
in  our  Common  Fowls  put  their  trust  entirely  in  the  possibility 
of  the  fact,  not  in  any  evidence  of  what  has  actually  occurred. 
"  One  man,  who  had  some  of  the  birds  near  a  wood,  indeed 
assured  me  that  the  breed  was  easily  reared,  and  that  they 
grew  more  and  more  like  Pheasants  every  clutch ;  but  I  no- 
ticed he  had  Hens  of  other  breeds  going  with  his  Pheasant- 
mules  or  hybrids,  male  and  female,  and  Tie  was  not  sufficiently 
intelligent  to  be  fully  depended  on.  Besides,  though  his  Cock 
and  some  of  the  Hens  were  undoubtedly  (?)  true  hybrids,  yet, 
as  he  lived  close  by  the  wood-side,  it  is  most  probable  that,  as 
in  the  former  instance,  the  Cock  Pheasant  of  the  wood  usurped 
the  attentions  of  the  whole  sisterhood,  thus  accounting  for  the 
broods  growing  more  like  Pheasants  every  generation.  The 
most  successful  breeder  of  them  admitted  that,  after  many 
trials  (of  paired  hybrids),  he  had  "  never  brought  up  but  two 
to  be  a'most  Hens,"  and  that  then  they  took  the  (meghrims) 
staggers  and  died." — (Correspondent  of  the  Agricultural  Ga- 
zette, July  1st,  1848. )  Such  naturalists  as  these  have  clearly 
got  into  a  wood,  and,  are  likely  to  ramble  about  therein  so  long  a 
time,  that  it  is  hopeless  to  endeavour  to  extricate  them. 

Others  say,  a  Consult  some  intelligent  gamekeeper,  and  you 
will  alter  your  opinions."  Well,  we  are  anxious  only  for  the 
truth,  and  are  ready  to  be  convinced  by  any  proved  facts  that 
a  gamekeeper  can  produce.  Accordingly,  we  have  consulted 
M.  Le  Roi,  gamekeeper  to  the  King  of  France,  not  of  the 
French,  before  the  first  revolution,  when  game  was  indeed  pre- 
served, and  country  gentlemen,  almost  as  much  as  kings,  when 


172  THE     PHEASANT- MALAY     FOWL. 

they  visited  the  country,  really  could  keep  poachers  in  awe. 
He  informs  us  of  his  experience,  thus : — u  Man  has  tried  to 
effect  a  violence  with  the  Cock  Pheasant,  to  make  it  breed 
with  a  foreign  species ;  and  the  experiments  have  in  some  de- 
gree succeeded,  though  they  required  great  care  and  attention. 
A  young  Cock  Pheasant  was  shut  in  a  close  place,  where  but 
a  faint  light  glimmered  through  the  roof :  some  young  Pullets 
were  selected,  whose  plumage  resembled  the  most  that  of  the 
Pheasant,  and  were  put  in  a  crib  adjoining  that  of  the  Cock 
Pheasant,  and  separated  from  it  only  by  a  grate,  of  which  the 
ribs  were  so  close  as  to  admit  no  more  than  the  head  and  neck 
of  these  birds.  The  Cock  Pheasant  was  thus  accustomed  to 
see  these  females,  and  even  to  live  with  them,  because  the  food 
was  thrown  into  the  crib  only.  When  they  had  grown  fa- 
miliar, both  the  Cock  and  Hens  were  fed  on  heating  aliments ; 
and  after  they  discovered  an  inclination  to  couple,  the  grate 
which  parts  them  was  removed.  It  sometimes  happened  that 
the  Cock  Pheasant,  faithful  to  nature,  and  indignant  at  the  in- 
suit  offered  him,  abused  the  Hens,  and  even  killed  the  first  he 
met  with  ;  but  if  his  rage  did  not  subside,  lie  was  on  the  one 
hand  mollified  by  touching  his  bill  with  a  red-hot  iron,  andf 
on  the  other,  stimulated  by  the  application  of  proper  fomenta- 
tions."— Bu/on's  Natural  History  of  Birds,  vol.  ii.,  p.  302. 
His  note  attached  is, — "  The  Wild  Pheasants  never  couple 
with  the  Hens  which  they  meet ;  not  but  they  sometimes  make 
advances,  only  the  Hens  will  never  permit  them  to  proceed. 
I  owe  this,  among  many  other  observations,  to  M.  Le  Roi, 
Lieutenant  des  Chasses  at  Versailles."  A  promising  com- 
mencement of  a  new  breed  of  Poultry  ! 

But  it  might  be  objected  that  all  this  happened  sixty  or 
seventy  years  ago,  and  that  the  nature  of  Pheasants  and  Fowls 
has  since  been  modified.  We  have  therefore  consulted  another 
intelligent  keeper,  who  knows  as  much  about  the  subject  as 
the  best  shot  that  ever  handled  a  gun.  On  stating  my  opinion 


THE    PHEASANT-MALAY     FOWL.  173 

of  the  absurdity  of  the  popular  notions  about  the  "  Pheasant 
Fowls"  to  Mr.  James  Hunt,  the  experienced  servant  of  the 
London  Zoological  Society,  he  replied,  "  You  are  quite  right, 
sir ;  those  who  think  differently  have  only  to  look  at  that," 
pointing  to  a  miserable,  really  half-bred  Pheasant,  that  was 
then  walking  before  us. 

Nor  does  the  experience  of  Mr.  Hunt  differ  much  from  that 
recorded  by  his  superiors.  "  Birds  produced  between  the 
Pheasant  and  Common  Fowl  are  of  frequent  occurrence.  The 
Zoological  Society  have  possessed  several,  which  were  for  a 
time  kept  together,  but  showed  no  signs  of  breeding ;  they  are 
considered,  like  other  hybrids,  to  be  unproductive  among  them- 
selves, all  being  half-bred ;  but  when  paired  with  the  true 
Pheasant  or  the  Fowl,  the  case  is  different.  The  Zoological 
Society  has  had  exhibited  at  the  evening  meetings  two  in- 
stances of  success  in  this  sort  of  second  cross.  The  first  was 
in  1731 }  the  second  instance  in  1836." — Yarrell,  vol.  ii.,  p. 
317.  Two  cases  only,  and  those  in  the  second  cross,  ascertained 
during  all  the  time  that  the  Society  has  had  extraordinary  means 
at  command,  are  exceptions  so  rare  as  to  confirm  the  rule  that 
such  mules  are  barren,  and  incapable  of  founding  a  family,  and 
becoming  the  ancestors  of  a  distinct  race.  And  yet  an  evi- 
dently sincere  writer  declares, — "  From  what  I  have  seen  of 
the  plumage  of  birds  casually  produced  at  the  wood-side,  (from 
crossing  with  Pheasants,)  I  believe  a  judicious  and  scientific 
selection  would  lead  to  the  production  of  very  fine  varieties ; 
and  that,  among  others,  the  dark  Pheasant-plumaged  breed,  both 
of  Bantams,  and  common  poultry,  would  reward  the  patient 
inquirer." — Agricultural  Gazette,  June  10,  1848.  Patience 
may  sometimes  be  its  own  reward  \  but  it  is  a  sad  thing  to  get 
into  a  wood,  if  the  German  romancers  are  to  be  listened  to. 

Those  who  still  believe  in  the  permanent  combination  of 
the  Pheasant  with  the  Fowl,  rest  their  faith  entirely  on  the 
"pure  half-bred"  birds  which  they  procure  from  the  wood- 

15* 


174  THE    PHEASANT- MA  LAY    FOWL. 

sides  to  begin  with.  But,  we  may  ask,  how  do  they  know 
that  they  are  really  such  ?  If  they  were  only  told  by  some 
man  who  lived  by  the  wood-side,  and  reared  them  from  one 
of  his  Hens  kept  there,  that  they  were  half-bred  Pheasants, 
we  must  refuse  to  admit  any  such  uncertain,  hearsay  evidence, 
as  unworthy  to  have  any  weight  in  solving  what  is  one  of  the 
most  important  problems  (in  its  consequences)  in  Natural  His- 
tory. The  Hen  from  which  birds  that  can  be  allowed  to  be 
half-bred  Pheasants  are  obtained,  must  have  been  confined 
for  some  time  previously  with  a  Cock  Pheasant,  and  utterly 
debarred  from  the  slightest  possibility  of  association  with  the 
Domestic  Cock.  In  short,  the  evidence  ought  to  be  as  clear 
and  unmistakeable  as  would  be  required  in  a  trial  for  murder, 
or  in  a  claim  before  the  House  of  Lords  to  a  succession  to  a 
dukedom.  When  we  have  truly  and  actually  got  what  we 
are  sure  is  a  half-bred  Pheasant,  specimens  of  which,  though 
unfrequent,  are  by  no  means  rare,  it  then  remains  to  be  seen 
what  becomes  of  them.  * 

Mr.  John  Bailey  favours  me  with  one  instance  of  their 
probable  destiny.  "  Hybrids  between  Fowls  and  Pheasants 
are  not  at  all  uncommon,  when  such  birds,  tame-bred,  are 
kept  together  in  a  pen.  For  instance,  a  tame-bred  Cock 
Pheasant  will  breed  with  a  game  Hen,  but  I  do  not  believe 
the  stories  of  wild  Pheasants  visiting  the  ordinary  inhabitants 
of  farm-yards.  I  have  had  numbers  of  such  miscalled  Hy- 
brids brought  to  me,  to  prove  by  ocular  demonstration  their 
claim  to  unnatural  origin ;  but  the  first  sight  proved  the  re- 
verse ;  they  were  simply  Spangled  Fowls. 

"I  have  had  many  Hybrids.  They  are  of  all  colours, 
but,  generally,  the  back  and  wings  are  chocolate -coloured ; 
the  breast,  hackle,  and  tail,  black,  and  the  legs  dark.  In  car- 
riage they  more  resemble  the  Pheasant  than  the  Fowl ;  they 
are  tame,  sheepish-looking  birds,  having  neither  comb  nor  gill, 
and  no  distinctly-coloured  circle  round  the  eye.  The  tail- 


THE    PHEASANT-MALAY    FOWL.  175 

feathers  are  longer  than  those  of  a  Fowl,  although  not  shaped 
like  a  Pheasant's  j  and  the  tail  itself  is  carried  more  erect  than 
a  Pheasant's, 

"  It  has  always  been  my  impression,  that  the  production  of 
such  a  creature,  however  much  coveted  as  a  curiosity,  will 
always  be  regretted,  when  its  tame,  stupid,  listless  air,  and 
positive  uselessness,  is  considered  in  comparison  with  the  mag- 
nificence of  the  Pheasant,  and  the  courage  and  beauty  of  the 
Fowl.  I  had  one  of  them  running  with  common  Hens  for 
two  or  three  years.  I  had  a  basket  nailed  against  the  wall, 
for  the  Hens  to  lay  in.  There  was  a  tree  close  to  it.  The 
unhappy  Hybrid,  as  though  aware  of  his  anomalous  position 
in  the  scale  of  creation,  and  anxious  to  redeem  it  in  "some  way, 
patiently  waited  for  the  Hens  to  lay,  and  then  began  zealously 
to  sit  on  the  Eggs.  This  lasted  for  months ;  and  his  (should 
it  not  be  '  its'  ?)  grief  was  visible  whenever  the  Egg  was 
removed." 

The  Pheasant-Malays  are  large,  well-flavoured,  good  sitters, 
good  layers,  good  mothers,  and  in  many  points  an  ornamental 
and  desirable  stock.  Some  hypercritical  eyes  might  object  to 
them  as  being  a  little  too  long  in  their  make ;  but  they  have 
a  healthy  look  of  not  being  over-bred,  that  would  recommend 
them  to  those  who  rear  for  profit,  as  well  as  pleasure.  The 
Eggs  vary  in  size,  some  very  large  in  summer,  smooth  but  not 
polished,  sometimes  tinged  with  light-buff,  balloon-shaped,  and 
without  the  zone  of  irregularity.  Six  Eggs  in  December,  1847, 
weighed  very  nearly  twelve  ounces.  The  Chickens,  when  first 
hatched,  are  all  very  much  alike  j  yellow,  with  a  black  mark 
all  down  the  back.  The  Cock  has  a  black  tail,  with  black  on 
the  neck  and  wings. 

I  have  been  favoured  with  a  communication  from  Mr.  A. 
Whitaker,  of  Beckington,  Somerset,  whose  observations  on 
domesticated  birds  I  know  to  be  so  accurate  as  to  render  him 
an  authority.  He  says,  "  I  do  not  feel  quite  certain  as  to  the 


176  THE    PHEASANT-MALAY    FOWL. 

particular  sort  of  birds  indicated  under  the  title  of  tho 
c  Pheasant  Breed/  I  have  seen  so  many  and  such  diverse 
sorts  called  Pheasant  Fowls,  that  I  have  long  since  ceased  to 
attach  any  definite  idea  to  the  designation.  I  fully  concur 
in  all  you  say  in  contravention  of  the  popular  notion  of  the 
existence  of  a  prolific  Hybrid  between  the  Fowl  and  the 
Pheasant. 

"I  have  for  seven  years  had  a  breed  of  Fowls,  the  pro- 
genitors of  which  were  sold  to  me  in  Hungerford  market  as 
1  Pheasant-Malays/  The  Cocks  are  a  large-sized  bird,  of  a 
dark-red  colour,  with  a  small  comb ;  but  the  beauty  of  the 
breed  is  with  the  Hens,  which  are  of  a  Pheasant  colour  in  all 
parts  of  the  body,  with  a  velvety  black  neck.  The  shape  of 
both  male  and  female  is  good.  The  neck  is  long  and  (as  we 
should  say  of  a  horse)  high-crested,  giving  them  an  appear- 
ance quite  superior  to  other  Fowl  in  that  particular.  The 
colour  of  the  Hens  varies  from  the  warmth  of  the  plumage 
of  the  Cock  Pheasant,  to  the  colder  hue  of  the  Hen  Pheasant, 
but  as  I  have  always  bred  from  the  high-coloured  birds,  I  now 
have  the  better  colour  generally  predominating.  The  legs 
are  white,  and  also  the  skin.  They  are  excellent  birds  on  the 
table,  both  as  to  quality,  shape,  and  size.  They  have  no  re- 
semblance to  the  Malay,  except  that  the  Cocks  are  rather  high 
on  the  legs,  the  Hens  being  the  reverse.  The  combs  of  the 
Hens  are  very  small.  The  Hens  never  have  a  foul  feather, 
but  I  have  never  seen  a  Cock  which  does  not  show  some  small 
mark  of  white  on  one  of  his  tail-feathers.  You  will  observe 
in  the  Hens  of  the  Pheasant-Malay  that  the  two  longest  tail- 
feathers  are  somewhat  curved,  which,  when  the  bird  is  full 
grown,  and  in  full  feather,  materially  improves  the  appear- 
ance. They  do  not  arrive  at  their  full  size  until  the  second 
season.  They  lay  well,  but  late.  Their  Eggs  are  very  small 
in  proportion  to  the  size  of  the  birds.  I  should  say  that  their 
weight  was,  on  the  average,  above  that  of  the  Black  Spanish, 


THE     PHEASANT-MALAY     FOWL.  177 

while  their  Eggs  are  a  third  smaller.  Baker,  of  London  and 
Chelsea,  (one  of  the  best  fancy  dealers,)  told  me  that  they 
were  a  breed  from  Calcutta.  They  are  certainly  tender,  and 
are  apt  to  die  in  moulting ;  but  the  Hens,  in  my  opinion,  are 
unrivalled  in  beauty,  while  the  Cock  is  a  fine  bird,  though  not 
so  uncommon  in  appearance,  except  to  an  experienced  eye, 
which  will  detect  peculiarity  of  growth. 

"  If  you  do  not  know  the  Pheasant-Malays,  (which  is  merely 
a  market  name,)  I  will  send  you  with  pleasure  a  Pullet  and  a 
late  Cockerel.  I  am  sorry  that  I  cannot  send  an  earlier  Cock 
bird,  as  I  apprehend  that  now  sent  will  not  attain  average 
size.  The  plumage  of  the  Pullet  promises  well.  The  Hens 
have  scarcely  any  comb.  The  Cocks  always  have  a  comb  ex- 
tending but  a  very  little  way  backward,  but  standing  up  so 
high  as  always  to  fall  a  little  over  on  one  side.  I  have  never 
seen  any  variation  as  to  the  combs  or  the  colour  of  the  neck 
and  tail-feathers,  either  of  males  or  females,  which  indicates 
them  to  be  a  real  variety.  The  only  variation  I  have  observed 
is  in  the  body-colour  of  the  Hens,  and  this  not  in  the  mark- 
ing, but  merely  in  the  ground  colour,  which  is  sometimes  paler 
and  duller  than  is  the  case  with  the  Pullet  I  send.  I  would 
most  cheerfully  enclose  some  Eggs,  but  I  have  none,  as  they 
very  rarely  lay  in  winter.  The  Eggs  are  quite  small,  but  of 
excellent  flavour,  neither  very  white  nor  brown;  the  shape 
varies  considerably.  The  Chicks  are  of  a  yellowish  colour, 
with  sometimes  two  brown  stripes  down  the  back  ahd  a  few 
specks  about  the  head,  but  more  usually  without  either.  They 
have,  however,  invariably  the  hinder  part  of  the  back  of  an 
intenser  or  browner  yellow,  almost  amounting  to  a  warm 
fawn-colour.  I  think  that  the  Chicks  should  not  be  hatched 
before  May." 

The  birds  thus  kindly  offered  were  thankfully  accepted; 
and,  after  a  railway  journey  of  more  than  two  hundred  and 
fifty  miles,  stepped  out  of  their  hamper  uncramped,  uninjured, 


178  THE     PHEASANT-MALAY     FOWL. 

and  undismayed  by  curious  inspectors,  and  with  evidently  an 
appetite  for  breakfast.  The  Pullet  was  certainly  a  great 
beauty ;  and  I  was  pleased  to  find  them  of  the  same  type  as 
the  "  Pheasant  Breed"  with  which  I  had  been  previously 
acquainted.  Their  richness  of  colour,  and  increase  of  size, 
being  the  result  of  skilful  selection  and  feeding  for  several 
generations.  The  colour  of  the  legs  being  quite  white,  did  not 
agree  with  the  Norfolk  specimens,  but  the  several  varieties  of 
Game  Fowl  exhibit  much  greater  differences  among  each  other. 
However,  I  now  quite  believe  that  the  Norfolk  specimens  I 
had  seen,  had  a  dash  of  the  blood  of  that  variety  of  Ham- 
burgh Fowls  known  as  Copper  Moss.  This  comparison  of 
individuals,  bred  more  than  three  hundred  miles  apart, 
establishes  the  existence  of  the  Pheasant-Malays  as  a  perma- 
nent variety  of  Fowls.  The  only  discrepancy,  which  is  more 
apparent  than  real,  lies  in  the  varying  size  of  the  Eggs; 
but  I  have  seen  so  many  changes  in  that  respect  in  the  same 
Hen,  under  altered  circumstances,  as  to  attach  no  importance 
to  variation  of  size,  unless  shape  and  colour  were  also  found 
to  be  diiferent. 

The  Cocks  display  considerable  courage;  the  Hens  are 
jealously  affectionate  towards  their  Chicks,  bustling,  and  petu- 
lant, thus  exhibiting  in  disposition  an  affinity  to  the  Game 
breed. 

Mr.  Whitaker  adds  :  "  My  male  birds  have  a  very  peculiar 
feathering  on  the  neck — the  neck  feathers  being  very  long 
and  full,  dark-red,  and  black  at  the  tips,  but  the  under  part 
of  a  downy  white.  The  consequence  is  an  appearance  of 
mixed  dark-red  and  white  about  the  neck,  which  is  the  more 
peculiar  from  its  being  so  particularly  at  variance  with  the 
glossy  black  neck-feathering  of  the  female.  The  feathering 
of  the  back  and  wings  is  rather  scanty,  and  the  tail  is  not  very 
full.  The  bird  has  a  good,  erect  carriage. 

"  The  Chickens  hatched  in  June  always  succeed  better  than 


THE    PHEASANT- MALAY     FOWL.  179 

those  that  are  hatched  earlier.  The  Chickens  of  this  breed 
are  very  small  at  first,  and  but  scantily  supplied  with  down. 
As  they  begin  to  grow,  they  have  a  very  naked  appearance, 
from  the  slow  development  of  their  feathers,  and  this  renders 
them  very  susceptible  of  cold.  At  six  weeks  old  they  are  not 
above  half  the  size  of  Dorkings  of  the  same  age,  but  after 
two  months  they  grow  very  fast,  and  the  Pullets  feather  well 
and  show  indications  of  their  permanent  colour.  The  Cocks 
are  ragged  in  appearance  until  five  months  old,  after  which 
they  get  their  permanent  plumage,  and  grow  fast.  As  a 
sort  of  profitable  growth,  I  cannot  recommend  them,  but 
the  ornamental  figure  and  colour  of  the  Hens,  I  think,  is 
beyond  question.  The  flesh,  at  table,  is  extremely  good  and 
white '}  and  they  lay  abundantly,  though  late.  I  have  a 
strong  suspicion,  from  various  peculiarities,  that  they  are  of 
comparatively  recent  introduction  into  this  country,  from  a 
much  warmer  climate. 

"  I  once  attempted  to  describe  to  you  an  oval  abortion :  I 
have  since  found  a  second,  in  which  the  similarity  was  com- 
plete. The  upper  Egg,  which  was  concealed  within  the  other, 
below  the  unclosed  orifice  left  at  the  egg-stalk,  was  conjested 
with  blood  in  both  cases,  while  the  lower  egg  or  yolk  (there 
being  two  in  each  case  within  the  shell)  was  quite  natural. 
A  fortnight  after  I  found  the  latter  abortion,  I  looked  into 
the  same  nest,  and  saw  there  one  of  my  Pheasant -Malay  Pul- 
lets of  last  year.  On  looking  closely  at  her,  I  saw  she  was 
dead;  and  on  opening  her,  another  of  these  abortions  was 
seen,  accompanied  by  general  congestion  of  the  ovarium  and 
a  vast  quantity  of  internal  fat,  which  I  find  these  birds  very 
much  disposed  to  take  on." 

It  is  a  common  opinion  among  country-people,  that  mis- 
shapen Eggs  care  caused  by  the  Hens  that  lay  them  being  too 
fat.  It  certainly  does  often  happen  that  an  over-fat  Hen  lays 
deformed  Eggs,  but  I  believe  that  the  cause  has  been  mis- 


180  THE     PHEASANT- MALAY     FOWL. 

taken  for  the  effect ;  and  that  the  non-production  of  the  usual 
quantity  of  natural-sized  Eggs,  in  consequence  of  some  pecu- 
liar state  of  the  egg-organs,  compels  the  superabundant  nou- 
rishment taken  by  the  bird,  to  be  deposited  in  the  shape  of 
fat,  instead  of  being  secreted  in  the  form  of  Eggs. 


181 


CHAPTER  X. 

THE     GUELDERLAND     FOWL. 

THIS  Fowl  would  seem  to  be  quite  an  original  one.  There 
is  still  less  development  of  comb  than  in  the  true  Malay;  the 
wattles,  however,  are  more  freely  developed  than  in  the  latter. 

A  gentleman  of  Boston,  who  has  some  fine  specimens  in  his 
possession,  writes  me,  concerning  them,  as  follows :  t(  The 
Gruelderlands,  about  which  you  inquire,  are  a  breed  of  Fowls 
introduced  into  this  section  by  Captain  John  Devereux,  a 
brother  of  the  Mr.  D.  who  visited  you  a  few  days  since.  This 
breed  is  of  a  jet-black  plumage,  without  combs,  the  Cock  some- 
times showing  two  small  red  warts.  The  wattles  are  small, 
particularly  so  in  the  Hen ;  the  body  is  short  and  plump ;  the 
legs  are  very  long,  compared  with  the  body,  and  are  thinly , 
covered,  on  the  front  and  outside,  with  thick  and  stiff  quill- 
feathers,  extending  to  the  toes.  The  Eggs  are  large,  white, 
and  oval  in  shape,  and  are  very  rich  and  palatable.  The  Hens 
are  not  great  layers  nor  sitters ;  at  least,  they  have  not  proved 
so  with  me.  The  flesh  I  have  not  tried." 

I  have  also  been  kindly  furnished,  by  H.  L.  Devereux,  Esq., 
of  .Dedham,  Mass.,  with  the  following  account.  He  says, 
"  This  splendid  breed  of  pure  black  Fowls  has  never,  to  my 
knowledge,  been  described  in  any  of  the  poultry-books  pub- 
lished in  England  or  this  country.  They  were  imported  from 

16 


182  THE     GUELPERLA.ND     FOWL. 

the  north  of  Holland,  in  the  month  of  May,  1842,  by  Captain 
John  Devereux,  of  Marblehead,  Mass.,  in  the  ship  Dromo,  on 
his  voyage  from  Amsterdam  to  Boston ;  and,  since  that  time, 
have  been  bred  by  him  at  his  place  in  that  town,  entirely  dis- 
tinct from  any  other  breed.  They  are  supposed  to  have  origin- 
ated in  the  north  part  of  Holland.  The  plumage  is  of  a 
beautiful  black,  tinged  with  blue,  of  very  rich  appearance,  and 
bearing  a  brilliant  gloss.  They  have  no  comb,  but  a  small 
indented,  hard,  bony  substance  instead,  and  large  red  wattles. 
Their  legs  are  of  a  shining  black,  smooth,  and  without  feathers, 
except  in  a  very  few  instances.  Dr.  B.,  in  his  work,  is  by  somo 
means  led  into  error;  where  the  legs  are  "  heavily  feathered," 
I  am  inclined  to  believe  they  have  been  crossed  with  the  Shang- 
hae;  such  crosses  I  have  seen.  Out  of  a  flock  of  some  twenty 
or  thirty,  you  may  perhaps  see  some  two  or  three  slightly 
feathered  upon  the  legs.  Such  is  the  fact  with  regard  to  those 
bred  in  our  yard  from  the  old  imported  Fowls.  Their  flesh  is 
white,  tender,  and  juicy ;  they  are  of  good  size,  great  layers, 
seldom  inclining  to  sit,  bright  active  birds,  and  are  not  sur- 
passed, in  point  of  beauty  or  utility,  by  any  breed  known  in 
this  country.  The  uniform  aspect  which  is  observable  in  their 
progeny  is  a  proof  of  the  purity  of  the  breed/' 

The  portraits  were  obligingly  furnished  by  H.  L.  Devereux, 
Esq.,  and  represent  a  pair  of  these  beautiful  Fowls  now  in  his 
possession.  He  says,  "  The  proof-impression  of  the  Guelder- 
lands  I  send  you,  is  as  good  as  can  be  done  in  Boston,  and  is, 
I  think,  quite  correct,  except  the  feathered  legs,  which  ought, 
to  answer  the  true  description,  be  smooth." 


183 


CHAPTER  XI. 

THE    DORKING    FOWL. 

THIS  has  been  called  the  Capon  Fowl  of  England.  It  forms 
the  chief  supply  for  the  London  market,  and  is  distinguished 
by  a  white  or  flesh-coloured  smooth  leg,  armed  with  five,  in- 
stead of  four  toes,  on  each  foot.  Its  flesh  is  extremely  deli- 
cate, especially  after  caponization ;  and  it  has  the  advantage 
over  some  other  fowls  of  feeding  rapidly,  and  growing  to  a 
very  respectable  size  when  properly  managed.  The  weight  to 
which  they  sometimes  attain  goes  much  beyond  that  recorded 
by  Mr.  Dixon.  Indeed,  the  weight  given  by  him  for  first-class 
birds  seems  ridiculously  small  in  comparison  with  that  given 
by  some  others.  Mr.  Nolan,  of  Dublin,  remarks,  that  "  the 
humblest  cottager  in  Ireland  would  smile  at  the  idea  of  a 
learned  English  ornithologist,  stating  that  his  specimens  of 
fine  Dorking  Fowl  weighed  only  7  Ibs.  each,  while  our  road- 
side birds  can  be  had  from  7  to  9  Ibs."  Mr.  Nolan,  I  think, 
is  disposed  to  be  a  little  sanguine,  as  we  do  not  often  meet 
with  "  road-side  Fowls"  whose  weight  is  as  he  states.  A  9  Ibs. 
bird,  of  any  breed,  is  a  sturdy  fellow.  But  hear  what  he  says 
of  the  weight  of  his  own  Dorkings.  He  says  that  he  has  a 
Cock  in  his  possession,  "  out  of  condition  and  in  heavy  moult, 
which  weighs  10  i  Ibs. ;  if  fed,  and  over  moult,  he  would  be 


186  THE     DORKING     FOWL. 

birds  are  extremely  difficult  to  be  had,  as  we  found  to  our  cost 
when  in  England,  and  it  was  only  by  special  favour  we  pro 
cured  some  at  last. 

"  Capt.  Morgan  has  been  upwards  of  two  years  endeavour- 
ing to  obtain  this  importation,  and  finally  succeeded  only 
through  a  worthy  clergyman,  Mr.  Courtney,  of  the  town  of 
Dorking,  a  passenger  with  him  on  a  recent  voyage  home  from 
the  United  States. 

"  He  accompanied  them  by  a  note,  apologizing  for  the  high 
price  he  had  to  pay,  and  further  saying — 'The  Chicken- 
breeders  of  Dorking  have  adopted  a  sort  of  principle,  that 
they  will  send  away  no  birds  alive,  except  capons,  as  they 
desire  to  retain  them,  as  much  as  possible,  among  themselves, 
in  which,  by  caponizing,  they  carry  on  quite  a  profitable  trade  j 
and  they  can  only  be  had  as  a  particular  favour/  " 

The  pair  of  Fowls  figured,  were  about  two  years  old  when 
drawn,  and,  as  a  consequence,  show  a  more  full  development 
than  would  those  of  a  less  mature  age.  The  weight  of  the 
Cock  was  8£  Ibs.,  that  of  the  Hen  fully  6i  Ibs.  When  ca- 
ponized,  this  breed  has  been  known  to  weigh  9  to  12  Ibs. 

Of  this  breed,  Dickson,  on  Poultry,  (1847,)  says: — " These 
Fowls,  (Dorkings,)  which  form  the  principal  supply  for  the 
London  market,  are  distinguished  by  having  five  toes,  instead 
of  four,  on  each  foot.  Their  flesh  is  extremely  white,  succu- 
lent, and  delicate,  and  they  have  the  advantage  of  feeding 
rapidly,  and  growing  to  a  very  large  size  when  properly 
managed.  Capons  and  Poulards,  though  by  no  means  so 
common  in  England  as  in  France,  are  sometimes  made  of 
these  Fowls,  which,  when  caponized,  grow  to  an  enormous 
size;  a  well-fed  Capon  having  been  known  to  weigh  15  Ibs.  ! 

"The  feathers  of  the  Dorking  Fowls  are  almost  always 
white,  and  the  legs  are  short,  white,  and  remarkably  smooth.." 

They  have  large  plump  bodies,  with  a  broad  full  chest,  like 
the  Partridge,  and  in  this  peculiarity  hold  the  rank  among 


THE    DORKING     FOWL.  187 

Poultry  which  the  Durhams  do  among  cattle.  When  pro- 
duced at  the  table,  there  is  no  other  breed  I  have  seen  equal 
to  them.  They  are  also  good  layers,  producing  a  good-sized 
clear-white  Egg,  and,  as  sitters  and  mothers,  cannot  be  sur- 
passed by  any  breed  of  Fowls. 

No  sure  criterion  is  found  in  the  appearance  of  five  toes,  as 
has  been  stated.  But  where  it  is  not  found,  I  should  ap- 
prehend a  "cross."  To  describe  a  true  Dorking  is  difficult, 
although  a  breeder  could  at  once  recognise  one. 

Several  writers  state  that  they  are  long  in  the  body.  But 
that  is  only  true  while  they  are  young.  As  they  come  to  ma- 
turity, the  other  parts  are  filled  up,  and  they  appear  more 
like  the  form  of  a  Linnet  than  any  other  bird. 

The  prominent  points  are  these  :  a  fine  head,  with  brilliant, 
reddish-tinged  eyes — by  some,  termed  ferret-eyed;  single  or 
double  comb,  in  both  sexes;  a  graceful  neck,  rather  short  than 
long;  wide,  deep,  projecting  breast;  the  body  is  not  only 
long,  but  is  round,  rather  than  flat  or  square;  and  the  legs, 
considering  their  size,  short,  and  invariably  of  a  silvery  white. 

I  may  add,  that  when  crossed  with  other  breeds,  they  in- 
variably improve  the  form ;  and  while  the  quality  of  the  meat 
is  improved,  the  amount  of  ofial  is  much  reduced. 

They  are  a  hardy  bird,  and  their  young  easily  reared — a 
fact  of  great  importance  in  this  climate. 

That  the  Chinese  possess  a  race  of  Fowls  which  have  the 
fifth  toe,  as  fully  developed  as  in  the  Dorking,  is  proved  by 
the  fact,  that  I  have  in  my  possession  a  pair  which  were  sent 
from  Nankin,  (and  arrived  here  in  March,  1850,)  as  choice 
specimens,  having  a  snow-white  plumage  and  other  character- 
istics of  the  true  Dorking.  The  plumage,  toes,  the  shape  and 
colour  of  the  Eggs,  lead  me  to  believe  that  the  Dorkings 
originated  in  that  section. 

EBEN  WIGHT. 

Dedham,  fc?.,  Dec.  5,  1850. 


188  THE      DORKING      FOWL. 

Mr.  Dixon  remarks,  on  the  subject  of  Dorkings : — For 
those  who  wish  to  stock  their  poultry-yards  with  Fowls  of 
the  most  desirable  shape  and  size,  clothed  in  rich  and  varie- 
gated plumage,  and,  not  expecting  perfection,  are  willing  to 
overlook  one  or  two  other  points,  the  Speckled  Dorkings*  are 
the  breed  to  be  at  once  selected.  The  Hens,  in  addition  to 
their  gay  colours,  have  a  large  vertically  flat  comb,f  which, 
when  they  are  in  high  health,  adds  very  much  to  their  brilliant 
appearance,  particularly  if  seen  in  bright  sunshine.  The 
Cocks  are  magnificent.  The  most  gorgeous  hues  are  frequently 
lavished  upon  them,  which  their  great  size  and  peculiarly 
square-built  form  display  to  the  greatest  advantage.  The 
breeder  and  the  farmer's  wife  behold  with  delight  their  short 
legs,  their  broad  breast,  the  small  proportion  of  offal,  and  the 
large  quantity  of  good  profitable  flesh.  When  fatted  and 
served  at  table,  the  master  and  mistress  of  the  feast  are  satis- 
fied. The  Cockerels  may  be  brought  to  considerable  weights, 
and  the  flavour  and  appearance  of  their  meat  are  inferior  to 
none.  Those  epicures  who  now  a.nd  then  like  a  Fowl  killed 
by  dislocation  of  the  neck  without  bleeding,  (the  more  humane 
way,)  will  find  that  this  variety  affords  a  tender  and  high- 
flavoured  dish.  The  Eggs  are  produced  in  reasonable  abund- 
ance, and,  though  not  equal  in  size  to  those  of  Spanish  Hens, 


*  So  called  from  the  town  of  Surrey,  which  brought  them  into 
modern  repute. 

f  A  question  has  been  raised,  at  some  Poultry  shows,  whether  the 
Dorkings  should  be  imperatively  required  to  have  a  single,  or  a  rose 
comb.  Neither  form  ought  to  disqualify  birds  true  in  other  respects ; 
but  we  should  decidedly  prefer  to  'make  the  acquisition  of  single- 
combed  specimens,  both  as  marking  their  relationship  to  the  Cochin 
China,  previously  noticed,  and  as  saving  them  from  the  suspicion 
of  a  cross  with  either  the  Malays  or  the  Hamburghs,  which  a  rose 
comb  is  apt  to  induce.  The  finest  White  Dorkings  that  have  come 
under  our  notice  have  always  had  single  combs. 
* 


THE     DOEKING     FOWL.  189 

may  fairly  be  called  large.  They  are  not  everlasting  layers, 
but  at  due  or  convenient  intervals  manifest  the  desire  of  sitting. 
In  this  respect  they  are  steady  and  good  mothers,  when  the 
little  ones  appear.  They  are  better  adapted  than  any  other 
Fowl,  except  the  Malay,  to  hatch  superabundant  Turkey's 
Eggs.  Their  size  and  bulk  enable  them  to  afford  warmth  and 
shelter  to  the  Turkey-poults  for  a  long  period.  For  the  same 
reason,  spare  Goose's  Eggs  may  be  intrusted  to  them ;  though 
in  this  respect  I  have  known  the  Pheasant-Malays  to  be  equally 
successful. 

With  all  these  merits  they  are  not  found  to  be  a  profitable 
stock  if  kept  thorough-bred  and  unmixed.  Their  powers  seem 
to  fail  at  an  early  age.  They  are  also  apt  to  pine  away  and 
die  just  at  the  point  of  reaching  maturity.  When  the  Pullet 
ought  to  begin  .to  lay,  and  the  Cockerel  to  crow  and  start  his 
tail-feathers,  the  comb,  instead  of  enlarging  and  becoming 
coral-red,  shrinks  and  turns  to  a  sickly  pink,  or  even  to  a  leaden 
hue ;  and  the  bird,  however  well-fed  and  warmly  housed,  dies, 
a  wasted  mass  of  feathers,  skin,  and  bone.  It  is  vexing,  after 
having  reared  a  creature  just  to  the  point  when  it  would  be 
most  valuable  for  the  table  or  as  stock,  to  find  it  "going  light," 
as  jthe  country  people  call  it;  particularly  as  it  is  the  finest 
specimens,  that  is,  the  most  thorough-bred,  that  are  destroyed 
by  this  malady.  I  do  not  believe  that  the  most  favourable 
circumstances  would  prevent  the  complaint,  though  unfavour- 
able ones  would  aggravate  it,  but  that  it  is  inherent  in  the 
race  and  constitution  of  the  birds.  They  appear  at  a  certain 
epoch  to  be  seized  with  consumption,  exactly  as,  in  some  un- 
happy families,  the  sons  and  daughters  are  taken  off  all  much 
at  the  same  age.  In  the  Speckled  Dorkings  the  lungs  seem  to 
be  the  seat  of  disease,  and  it  is  to  be  regretted  that  no  dissec 
tion  was  made  in  cases  where  I  had  the  opportunity. 

A  gentleman  who  has  kept  this  breed  of  Fowls  for  nearly 
twenty  years,  suggests  that  the  foregoing  remark  ought  to  be 


190  THE     DORKING     FOWL. 

taken  as  the  exception,  and  no^  the  rule ;  of  course  it  must, 
otherwise  the  whole  race  would  have  long  since  been  extinct. 
Moreover,  a  degree  of  robustness  and  fecundity,  which  would 
be  pronounced  considerable  in  Curassows  or  Pheasants,  may 
justly  be  called  feeble  in  Cocks  and  Hens.  The  same  word 
will  have  a  different  measure  of  force  when  applied  to  different 
objects.  He  says,  that  having  been  careful  to  introduce  a 
fresh,  well-selected  Cock-bird  or  two  into  the  walk,  every  second 
or  third  year  at  farthest,  he  has  found  the  race  uniformly  hardy, 
healthy,  and  prolific.  The  remedy  is  one  of  the  best  that  can 
be  devised ;  but  the  necessity  for  adopting  it  confirms,  instead 
of  disproving  our  opinion,  that  the  Cocks  of  this  breed  are 
deficient  in  vigour.  However,  Mr.  Baily,  of  Mount  Street, 
observes,  as  the  result  of  his  long  experience,  "A  general  re- 
mark I  would  make  on  Fowl-breeding  is,  that -no  one  judges 
fairly  of  a  breed,  or  sufficiently  tries  his  opinion,  if  he  has  for 
two  years  been  breeding  in  and  in ;  and  it  is  not  enough  to 
say  in  defence  of  the  sweeping  condemnation  of  a  race,  that  he 
has  only  bred  two  years  from  the  birds,  and  consequently  not 
long  enough  for  the  evil  to  show  itself;  he  must  first  inquire 
whether  there  was  relationship  in  the  stock  he  began  with ; 
perhaps  he  had  a  Cock  and  Pullet  brother  and  sister  from  a 
friend  or  dealer,  the  progeny  of  similar  relations,  and  from  a 
yard  where  a  change  of  stock  was  absolutely  necessary  when 
these  were  disposed  of :  he  would  thus  unwittingly  be  carrying 
on  the  unfortunate  process,  and  honestly,  though  mistakenly, 
consider  that  a  defect  in  the  constitution  of  the  Fowl,  which 
is,  in  truth,  a  mal-practice  of  the  owner  of  it."  There  is  cer- 
tainly great  force  in  the  caution '  the  Poultry-shows,  with 
compulsory  sales,  now  coming  into  fashion,  offer  one  means 
of  remedying  the  evil. 

We  are  inclined  to  think  that,  for  persons  who  live  in  grassy 
and  thick-wooded  situations,  long-legged  Fowls  are  preferable 
to  short-legged  breeds  like  the  Dorking,  they  being  carried 


THE     DORKING     FOWL.  191 

higher  above  the  damps  and  dews,  besides  having  a  longer 
leverage  of  limb  (if  such  an  idea  is  not  altogether  fanciful) 
to  assist  them  in  scratching  for  the  worms  and  insects  with 
which  such  localities  abound.  For  instance,  the  average  suc- 
cess of  many  country-people  in  rearing  young  Turkeys,  is 
greater,  all  along,  than  that  with  Chickens. 

Such  people  as  are  careless  about  seeing  the  full  comple- 
ment of  five  toes,  are  advised  to  try  the  Surrey  Fowls,  a  nearly 
allied  breed,  or,  as  some  call  it,  an  improvement  of  the  Dork- 
ing. They  are  a  very  fine  variety,  and  may  be  had  genuine 
from  any  of  the  respectable  London  dealers.  The  Old  Sus- 
sex, or  Kent,  are  closely  related  to  these,  if  not  absolutely 
identical. 

But  the  serious  and  fatal  maladies  of  Fowls  are  difficult  to 
trace  to  their  cause,  and  still  more  difficult  to  cure  by  the 
application  of  any  remedy.  It  is  unnecessary  to  more  than 
allude  to  the  volumes  of  absurd,  irrational,  and  impracticable 
directions  that  have  been  printed  on  the  subject.  Many  ill- 
nesses which  we  suppose  to  be  of  natural  and  spontaneous 
origin  are,  there  is  no  doubt,  brought  on  by  the  neglect  and 
cruelty  of  boys  and  servants.  Our  domesticated  animals  are 
dumfc^  they  cannot  tell  their  master  what  illTtreatment  they 
have  received  in  his  absence ;  and  they  often  severely,  cruelly, 
suffer  the  displeasure  of  some  ill-natured  underling,  who  dare 
not  show  his  temper  in  higher  quarters.  Many  a  fancied  or 
real  wrong  has  been  expiated  by  the  Horse,  the  Dog,  the  Cat, 
or  the  Poultry.  Nay,  there  is  no  concealing  it,  and  mothers 
should  listen  to  it,  and  think  of  it,  as  a  motive  to  keep  their 
lips  guarded  and  their  brow  serene — many  a  harsh  word  spoken 
in  a  moment  of  irritation  has  been  -revenged  in  shakes  and 
pinches  upon  the  helpless  infant. 

In  a  communication  with  which  I  have  been  favoured  by 
Dr.  Bevan,  the  able  author  of  the  "  Honey  Bee,"  he  says, 
11  Just  about  roosting-time,  one  of  the  Cocks  (of  a  very  choice 


192  THE     DORKING     FOWL. 

breed)  was  found  apparently  lifeless  at  the  back-door,  lying  on 
its  side,  as  though  it  had  been  knocked  down,  which  I  really 
believe  it  had.  I  brought  it  to  the  fire,  and  placed  it  in  a 
basket  of  hay.  It  soon  began  to  move,  and  became  violently 
convulsed."  The  worthy  Doctor  made  a  correct  diagnosis  of 
the  malady,  and  so  avoided  the  mortification  of  administering 
a  long  list  of  nostrums  in  vain.  Some  years  ago  we  had  a 
most  beautiful  Dorking  Cock,  the  admiration  of  ourselves  and 
of  all  who  saw  him.  After  a  time  he  became  ill,  weak,  and 
dejected;  got  worse,  and  died.  Every  ordinary  comfort  and 
care  were  afforded,  but  we  did  not  try  any  of  the  extraordinary 
recipes  that  are  current. 

By-and-by  the  discovery  of  cruel  treatment  to  my  pony 
elicited  the  fact  that  the  stable-boy  was  in  the  habit  of  making 
the  Cock  " drunk;"  a  process  which  is  effected  by  seizing  the 
bird  by  the  legs,  and  whirling  him  round  and  round  in  the  air, 
till  the  centrifugal  force  shall  have  sent  the  blood  to  the  head, 
and  produced  apoplexy.  The  amusement  consists  in  seeing 
the  Cock  stagger  and  reel  when  placed  upon  the  ground,  and 
gradually  recover  as  it  unsteadily  walks  off.  "  Tipsy  Hen"  is 
an  agreeable  variation  of  the  sport.  The  cook  had  seen,  and 
was  indignant;  but  the  lad's  mother,  when  he  entered  my 
service,  had,  like  the  enchantress  of  romance,  given  her  son  a 
word  of  power.  To  the  angry  threat  of  the  cook  that  she 
would  tell  of  the  atrocity,  it  was  replied,  "  If  you  do,  /  will 
tell  that  every  time  it  is  your  Sunday  out,  you  go  to  see  the 
little  boy  you  had  two  years  ago."  Cook  was  thunderstruck 
at  the  mention  of  her  "misfortune,"  and  was  tongue-tied.  And 
so  the  machinery  of  households  goes  on. 

I  have  subsequently  found  that,  in  all  cases  of  suspicious  death, 
the  surest  way  of  coming  at  the  truth,  and  preventing  further 
mal-practices,  is  to  hold  a  formal  inquest,  with  a  post-mortem  ex- 
amination, and,  after  a  deliberate  investigation,  to  punish  firmly 
by  rebuke  or  dismissal,  any  outrage  on  the  laws  of  humanity. 


THE     DORKING     FOWL.  193 

Well  might  Aldrovandi  caution  his  poultry-loving  readers : 
"Therefore,  he  who  wants  to  enjoy  a  profit  from  these  birds 
ought,  in  the  first  place,  to  select  some  faithful  body.  For. 
unless  he  who  has  the  care  of  the  Hens  remains  honest  towards 
his  lord,  the  gain  will  not  cover  the  expenses.  An  attendant 
of  this  sort,  namely,  who  climbs  into  the  hen-house,  and  col- 
lects the  Eggs,  and  turns  by  hand  those  which  are  incubated, 
will  rightly  be  called  the  Hen-keeper,  or  Gruardian." 

As  to  the  casualties  arising  from  the  neglect  or  ill-temper 
of  servants,  every  farmer  who  has  live  stock  to  be  tended,  has 
had  abundant  proofs.  There  is  a  peculiar  idiosyncracy  in 
some  individuals,  which  fits  them  to  take  charge  of  certain 
animals.  Some  female  servants  in  the  country  have  quite  a 
passion  for  bringing  up  poultry,  and  by  their  care  and  kind- 
ness will  rescue  apparently  moribund  Chickens  and  Turkeys 
from  the  threatening  jaws  of  death.  A  groom  or  stable-man 
almost  always  despises  poultry.  A  gardener  thinks  it  beneath 
him  to  look  after  them.  Even  in  public  Menageries  the  man 
who  has  charge  of  a  Lion  deems  it  a  condescension  to  tend  a 
few  harmless  birds.  A  clever  little  girl  often  makes  an  excel- 
lent poultry-tender :  boys  are  as  mischievous  and  untrustworthy 
as  monkeys.  When  there  is  any  thing  in  hand  requiring 
peculiar  watchfulness,  it  is  not  a  bad  plan,  if  possible,  to  at- 
tend to  it  one's  self. 

Pure  Dorking  Hens  are  sometimes  barren.  I  had  one,  a 
perfect  model  to  the  eye,  short,  square,  compact,  large,  with 
plumage,  comb,  and  weight  all  that  could  be  wished — the  very 
Pullet  that  a  fancier  would  have  chosen  to  perpetuate  the 
breed.  But  she  never  laid,  nor  showed  any  disposition  to  sit, 
and,  in  consequence  of  her  uselessness,  at  about  two  years  old 
was  brought  to  table.  The  carving-knife  soon  demonstrated  a 
mal-formation  of  the  back  and  side  bones,  and  showed  that  the 
models  of  the  breeder  may  sometimes  be  too  highly  finished. 
This  certainly  might  be  a  case  of  breeding  in-and-in.  But  the 


194  THE     DORKING     FOWL. 

Cocks,  with  all  their  outward  trappings  and  sturdy  build,  I 
must  suspect  to  be  deficient  in  vigour.  If  many  Hens  are 
allowed  to  run  with  them,  clear  Eggs  will  disappoint  those  who 
want  large  broods  of  Chickens.  Three,  or  at  most  four,  Hens 
to  a  Cock  will  give  the  most  successful  results.*  These  and  a 
few  other  apparently  trifling  facts  seem  to  show  that  with  the 
Speckled  Dorkings  (a  variety  of  great  antiquity)  the  art  of 
breeding  has  arrived  at  its  limits.  That  it  has  limits  is  well 
known  to  persons  of  practical  experience.  Sir  J.  S.  Sebright 
says,  "  I  have  tried  many  experiments  for  breeding  in-and-in" 
(for  the  sake  of  developing  particular  properties)  "upon  Dogs, 
Fowls,  and  Pigeons  :  the  Dogs  became,  from  strong  Spaniels, 
weak  and  diminutive  lap-dogs ;  the  Fowls  became  long  in  the 
legs,  small  in  the  body,  and  bad  breeders." 

"  There  are  a  great  many  sorts  of  fancy  Pigeons;  each 
variety  has  some  particular  property,  which  constitutes  its  sup- 
posed value,  and  which  the  amateurs  increase  as  much  as  pos- 
sible, both  by  breeding  in-and-in,  and  by  selection,  until  the 
particular  property  is  made  to  predominate  to  such  a  degree, 
in  some  of  the  more  refined  sorts,  that  they  cannot  exist  with- 
out the  greatest  care,  and  are  incapable  of  rearing  their  young 
without  the  assistance  of  other  Pigeons  kept  for  that  purpose.'* 
— The  Art  of  Improving  the  Breeds  of  Domestic  Aviinials,  p.  13. 

As  mothers,  an  objection  to  the  Dorkings  is,  that  they  are 


*  Chaucer's  Cock  Chatmteclere,  who  was  probably  a  Golden  Ham- 
burgh, had  a  larger  allowance : — 

"  This  gen  til  cok  had  in  his  governance 
Seven  hennes  for  to  don  all  his  plesance, 
Which  were  his  susters  and  his  paramoures, 
And  wonder  like  to  him  as  of  coloures, 
Of  which  the  fairest,  hewed  in  the  throte, 
Was  cleped  faire  Damoselle  Pertelote." 

The  Nonnes  Preestes  Tale. 


THE     DORKING    FOWL.  195 

too  heavy  and  clumsy  to  rear  the  Chicks  of  any  smaller  and 
more  delicate  bird  than  themselves.  Pheasants,  Partridges, 
Bantams,  Guinea  Fowl,  are  trampled  under  foot  and  crushed,  if 
in  the  least  weakly.  The  Hen,  in  her  affectionate  industry  in 
scratching  for  grubs,  kicks  her  lesser  nurslings  right  and  left, 
and  leaves  them  sprawling  on  their  backs.  Before  they  are  a 
month  old,  half  of  them  will  be  muddled  to  death  with  this 
rough  kindness.  In  spite  of  these  drawbacks,  the  Dorkings 
are  still  in  high  favour;  but  a  cross  is  found  to  be  more  profit- 
able than  the  true  breed.  A  showy,  energetic  Game-cock,  with 
Dorking  Hens,  produces  Chickens  in  size  and  beauty  little  infe- 
rior to  their  maternal  parentage,  and  much  more  robust. 
Everybody  knows  their  peculiarity  in  having  a  supernumerary 
toe  on  each  foot.  This  characteristic  almost  always  disappears 
with  the  first  cross,  but  it  is  a  point  which  can  very  well  be 
spared  without  much  disadvantage.  In  other  respects,  the  ap- , 
pearance  of  the  newly-hatched  Chicks  is  scarcely  altered.  The 
eggs  of  the  Dorking  Hens  are  large,  pure  white,  very  much 
rounded,  and  nearly  equal  in  size  at  each  end.  The  Chicks 
are  brownish -yellow,  with  a  broad  brown  stripe  down  the  mid- 
dle of  the  back,  and  a  narrower  one  on  each  side;  feet  and 
legs  yellow.  ' 

Of  this  breed  Mr.  Alfred  Whitaker  thus  expresses  his  opin- 
ion : — "  I  agree  with  you  fully  as  to  the  usefulness  of  this  de- 
scription of  Poultry,  but  I  do  not  view  them  exactly  through 
the  same  medium  as  to  their  beauty.  Compared  with  the 
Pheasant-Malays,  they  are  short-necked,  and  there  is  no  arch 
or  crest  to  the  neck.  Their  colours  vary  from  a  streaked  grey 
to  a  mottled  or  spotted  brown  and  white.  A  neighbour  here 
has  some  of  the  finest  I  ever  saw;  the  Cocks  with  very  full 
double  combs,  and  the  Hens  generally  with  reddish-brown  spots 
on  a  white  ground.  To  my  eye  the  Cocks  look  heavy  and 
stupid,  neither  the  head  nor  the  tail  being  usually  carried  in  an 
erect  position,  or  with  any  semblance  of  spirit.  As  regards 


196  THE    DORKING     FOWL. 

size,  they  are  magnificent.  I  saw  one  on  my  friend's  dinner- 
table  three  days  since,  quite  as  large  as  an  ordinary  Hen 
Turkey ;  it  was  a  cockerel  about  seven  months  old.  My  expe- 
rience of  their  laying  and  breeding  qualities  agrees  mainly  with 
your  statement,  except  that  I  should  lay  still  stronger  empha- 
sis on  their  fatal  clumsiness  as  mothers,  which  I  am  inclined 
to  think  is  aggravated  by  their  extra  toe  behind,  and  the  great 
length  of  their  back-toes.  They  frequently  trample  to  death 
their  Chickens  during  the  process  of  hatching,  and  in  a  small 
coop  they  demolish  them  at  a  fearful  rate.  I  think  they  never 
should  be  cooped  -with  their  chickens :  but  a  still  safer  course 
would  be  to  hatch  the  Eggs  under  a  mother  of  a  less  rough 
physique,  or  perhaps  by  Cantelo's  hydro-incubator."  The  only 
question  is,  how  the  Hen  is  to  be  employed  when  the  sitting 
fit  comes  on,  for  they  are  most  persevering  sitters.  I  have 
successfully  hatched  both  Turkeys  and  Geese  under  Dorking 
Hens.  The  latter  will  stand  a  great  deal  of  trampling  and 
kicking  about  without  taking  much  harm  from  it.  Mr.  Whit- 
aker  continues,  "  I  have  crossed  the  Dorkings  with  Pheasant 
Malays.  The  first  cross  produces  a  fine  bird,  which  is  large, 
though  not  prolific ;  but  if  you  were  to  cross  the  breed  with 
each  other,  they  dwindle  to  nothing.  The  doctrine  of  breed- 
ing is  yet  ill  understood.  I  am  disposed  to  think  that,  where 
you  have  a  real  variety,  breeding  in  is  the  natural  and  best 
mode  of  procedure ;  but  that,  when  you  cross  two  thorough 
breeds,  you  have  no  guarantee  that  the  cross  breed  will  be  good 
further  than  the  first  result." 

It  is  a  question  how  the  Speckled  Dorkings  were  first  intro- 
duced. Some  maintain  that  the  pure  White  Dorkings  are  the 
original  breed  with  five  toes,  and  that  the  Speckled  Dorkings 
is  a  recent  and  improved  cross,  by  which  the  size  was  much 
increased,  between  the  original  White  breed  and  the  Malay, 
or  some  other  largf.  stock  of  poultry.  From  this  opinion  I 
must  entirely  dissent,  on  the  ground  of  strong,  though  not  ab- 


THE    DORKING    FOWL.  197 

solutely  conclusive,  evidence  to  the  contrary.  It  seems  to  me 
that  Columella's  favourite  sort  of  Hen  could  not  differ  much 
from  our  Speckled  Dorkings.  He  says,  "  Let  them  be  of  a 

reddish  or  dark  plumage,  and  with  black  wings Let 

the  breeding  Hens,  therefore,  be  of  a  choice  colour,  a  robust 
body,  square  built,  full  breasted,  with  large  heads,  with  upright 

and  bright  red  combs those  are  believed  to  be  the  best 

bred  which  have  five  toes,"  &c.  Except  that  there  is  no  men- 
tion of  speckles,  (and  he  never  describes  minute  markings,)  the 
whole  description  almost  exactly  tallies  with  our  birds  of  the 
present  day.  Pliny's  account  agrees  with  this  :  "  Superiority 
of  breed  in  Hens  is  denoted  by  an  upright  comb,  sometimes 
double,  black  wings,  ruddy  visage,  and  an  odd  number  of  toes." 
Lib.  x.  c.  Ixxvii.  It  appears  that  Columella  had  the  White  sort, 
but  he  rejected  them ;  for  he  advises,  "Let  the  White  ones  be 
avoided,  for  they  are  generally  both  tender  and  less  vivacious, 
and  also  are  not  found  to  be  prolific" — faults  which  are  still 
attributed  to  them.  I  cannot,  therefore,  avoid  believing  that 
from  the  robust,  dark-coloured,  five-toed  Fowl,  white  indivi- 
duals have  been  from  time  to  time  produced  and  propagated, 
exactly  as  we  see  in  other  species  of  Gallinaceous  birds  that, 
have  long  been  in  domestication — Pea  Fowl,  Turkeys,  and 
Guinea  Fowl,  for  instance ;  and  as  the  white  variety  of  these  is 
mostly  smaller  and  more  delicate  than  birds  of  the  normal 
plumage,  so  the  White  Dorkings  are  inferior  in  size,  and  per- 
haps in  hardihood.  I  think  also  that  there  is  no  instance  of 
any  white  species  of  Cocks  and  Hens  having  been  found  wild, 
(except  the  Silky  Fowls,  and  those  are  separated  by  Temminck 
into  a  distinct  species;)  which  is  some  argument  that  dark  and 
gaudy  colours  are  the  hues  originally  characteristic  of  the 
genus. 


17* 


198  COLOURED     DORKINGS. 

COLOURED  DORKINGS. 

AN  esteemed  correspondent  writes  to  the  Editor  as  follows, 
concerning  the  above-named  variety : — 

You  ask  my  opinion,  whether  or  not  the  Coloured,  Speck- 
led, or  Gray  Dorkings,  are  thorough  breeds  ?  I  consider  them 
mongrels.  I  have  seen  many  Fowls  in  this  vicinity,  which 
were  imported  from  England  and  Ireland  under  these  names. 
I  have  never  known  an  instance  in  tyhich  the  progeny  has 
been  like  the  imported  Fowls.  I  think  the  only  colour  which 
is  thrown  by  the  thorough-bred  Dorking  is  white,  with  white 
bill  and  legs,  and  a  supernumerary  hind-toe.  The  hind-toes 
have  a  peculiar  form  and  shape  in  the  thorough-bred  White 
Dorking,  which  are  not  shown  in  the  Coloured  Dorkings. 

The  white  breed  of  Dorjkings  have,  to  my  knowledge,  been 
bred  "in-and-in"  without  any  variation  of  these  peculiar 
marks,  and  without  the  slightest  change  in  colour.  The  Co- 
loured, Speckled,  and  Gray  Dorking  have  not  produced  their 
like  in  any  instance,  but  have  reverted  to  the  different  breeds 
from  which  they  were  derived. 

The  great  and  well-deserved  reputation  which  the  breed  of 
Fowls  known  as  Dorking  Fowls,  has  acquired  in  England, 
arises  more  from  the  superiority  of  its  flesh  over  that  of  other 
Fowls,  than  from  its  beauty  of  form,  splendor  of  plumage, 
the  quality  or  size  of  its  Eggs,  or  the  weight  of  its  body. 

In  the  markets  of  London,  Fowls  with  white  legs  and  five 
toes  would  always  find  purchasers,  on  account  of  the  well-known 
richness  and  flavour  of  the  flesh,  whatever  might  be  its  size, 
whether  caponized  or  not.  And  as  large  Fowls  commanded 
much  larger  prices  than  small  ones,  the  breeders  have  been  in- 
duced to  increase  the  size  of  the  Fowls,  retaining  as  much  as 


THE    DORKING    FOWL.  199 

possible  those  peculiar  characteristics,  viz.,  the  white  legs  and 
the  five  toes,  even  at  the  risk  of  sacrificing  the  good  qualities 
of  the  flesh.  For  that  purpose  the  Chittagong  Fowl  has  been 
used  to  cross  with  the  White  Dorking,  on  account  of  the  near 
resemblance  of  the  colour  of  the  legs  and  the  great  weight  to 
which  the  Chittagong  Fowl  attains. 

That  the  colour  of  the  Dorking  Fowls  was  white,  abundant 
proof  is  furnished  by  Moubray,  W.  B.  Dickson,  and  others. 
Mr.  James  Main,  who,  early  in  this  present  century,  .published 
a  book  on  Poultry,  says,  "  The  most  valued  variety  for  th-e 
table,  at  present,  is  the  Dorking  breed.  This  is  pure  white,  and 
highly  esteemed  for  the  whiteness  and  delicacy  of  their  flesh, 
when  served  at  table.  They  also  fetch  a  higher  price  at 
market.  Among  breeders,  real  Dorking  Cocks  sell  for  from 
five  to  ten  shillings  each." 

That  the  pure  Dorking  Fowl  has  become  extinct,  or  nearly 
so,  in  England,  I  will  quote  from  a  work  on  Poultry,  written  by 
W.  C.  L.  Martin,  one  of  the  scientific  officers  of  the  Zoological 
Society  of  London,  who,  speaking  of  the  Dorking  Fowl,  says, 
"  Surrey  is  noted  for  its  Fowls,  especially  that  breed  which 
passes  under  the  name  of  Dorking,  and  which  is  cultivated  in 
the  district  surrounding  that  celebrated  town.  The  Dorking 
Fowl  is  a  short-legged,  plump,  round-bodied  Fowl,  remarkable 
for  having  five  toes,  that  is,  a  supernumerary  hind-toe.  The 
Dorking  Fowl  is  of  good  size,  and  of  a  white  colour,  but  such 
are  seldom  seen."  Mr.  Martin  is  of  the  highest  authority, 
being,  not  merely  a  member  of  the  Zoological  Society,  but  one 
of  the  scientific  officers  of  that  institution. 

That  the  White  Dorking  had  become  exceedingly  scarce  in 
Dorking  and  its  vicinity,  I  will  give  you  an  extract  of  a  let- 
ter written  by  Captain  E.  E.  Morgan,  of  the  London  packet- 
ship  Victoria,  dated  at  London,  April  14th,  1845,  and  pub- 
lished in  the  American  Agriculturist,  July,  1845.  It  is  as 


200  THE     DORKING     FOWL. 

follows : — "  I  shall  write  to  Mr.  Courtney  again,  who  lives  neap 
Dorking.  He  told  me,  and  I  have  also  ascertained  the  same 
fact  myself  from  other  quarters,  that  none  is  to  be  obtained 
here,  unless  of  a  mongrel  breed. "  Mr.  Courtney,  in  a  letter  to 
Captain  Morgan,  says,  "  The  Old  White  sort  is  altogether  bred 
out,  and  the  Speckled  and  Gray  varieties  are  now  all  the  rage, 
and  altogether  are,  perhaps,  the  best  barn-door  Fowls  in 
existence." 

The  Reverend  Edward  Saul  Dixon,  the  author  of  a  work  on 
Ornamental  and  Domestic  Poultry,  published  in  London  in 
1850,  says,  "  For  those  who  wish  to  stock  their  Poultry-yards 
with  Fowls  of  most  desirable  shape  and  size,  clothed  in  rich 
and  variegated  plumage,  and,  not  expecting  perfection,  are  will- 
ing to  overlook  one  or  two  points,  the  Speckled  Dorkings,  so 
called  from  the  town  in  Surrey,  which  brought  them  into  mo- 
dern repute,  are  the  breed  to  be  at  once  selected/' 

"  It  is  a  question  how  the  Speckled  Dorkings  were  first  in- 
troduced. Some  maintain  that  the  pure  White  Dorkings  are 
the  original  breed,  and  that  the  Speckled  Dorkings  are  a  recent 
and  improved  cross." 

After  speaking  of  the  good  qualities  of  the  Speckled  Dorkings, 
Mr.  Dixon  says,  "  With  all  these  merits  they  are  not  found  to 
be  a  profitable  stock  if  kept  thorough-bred  and  unmixed.  Their 
power§  seem  to  fail  at  an  early  age.  They  are  also  apt  to 
pine  away  and  die,  just  at  the  point  of  reaching  maturity  ;  par- 
ticularly the  finest  specimens,  that  is,  the  most  thorough-bred, 
are  destroyed  by  this  malady.  These,  and  a  few  other  appa- 
rently trifling  facts,  seem  to  show  that  with  the  Speckled  Dork- 
ings, the  art  of  breeding  has  arrived  at  its  limits." 

Mr.  Dixon  further  says,  "  In  the  Speckled  Dorkings  the 
lungs  seem  to  be  the  seat  of  the  disease.  They  appear  at  a 
certain  epoch  to  be  seized  with  consumption.  I  do  not  believe 
that  the  most  favourable  circumstances  would  prevent  the  com- 


THE     DOKKING     FOWL.  201 

plaint,  though  unfavourable  ones  would  aggravate  it;  but  that 
it  is  inherent  in  the  race  and  constitution  of  the  birds." 

The  White  Dorkings  are  hardy  and  active  birds,  and  are  not 
subject  to  consumption,  or  any  other  disease. 

Mr.  Alfred  Whitaker,  a  correspondent  of  the  Gardeners' 
Chronicle  and  Farmers'  Gazette,  an  English  publication,  says, 
in  an  article  on  the  Speckled  Dorkings,  "  I  am  disposed  to 
think  that,  when  you  have  a  real  variety,  breeding-in  is  the 
natural  and  best  mode  of  procedure,  but  that,  when  you  cross 
two  thorough  breeds,  you  have  no  guarantee  that  the  cross 
breed  will  be  good  further  than  the  first  result." 

J.  J.  Nolan,  of  Dublin,  Ireland,  a  dealer  in  fancy  animals, 
has,  within  the  past  year,  put  forth  a  work  for  the  purpose  of 
advertising  the  articles  in  which  he  deals,  in  which  he  speaks 
very  highly  of  the  Coloured  Dorking,  which  he  styles  the 
"  True  Dorking."  He  says,  t(  Breeders  will  find  it  necessary 
to  introduce,  occasionally,  fresh  blood  into  their  stock  of  Dork- 
ing; otherwise  they  become  unhealthy,  and  degenerate  into  a 
dwarfish  size ;  and,  if  you  expect  productive  Eggs,  do  not  give 
more  than  four  or  five  Hens  to  a  Cock."  Nolan,  in  speaking 
of  the  Old  Sussex  or  Kent  Fowl,  says,  "  It  is  so  nearly  allied 
to  the  Dorking,  as  to  be  almost  impossible  to  separate  them  : 
they  may  be  called  identical,  as,  in  the  same  clutch,  some  of  the 
birds  will  have  five  toes,  while  others  will  have  but  four  :  those 
with  the  five  toes  being  denominated  by  the  breeders,  Dork- 
ing ;  and  they  designated  those  with  only  four  toes,  the  Old 
Sussex.  Many  fanciers  prefer  the  old  Sussex  to  the  Dorking, 
considering  the  additional  toe  as  rather  a  deformity,  and,  when 
perching,  liable  to  accident.  They  are  of  all  the  various 
colours  of  the  Dorking :  the  description  of  that  bird  may  in 
every  particular  be  applied  to  them.  They  require,  as  in  the 
Dorking,  fresh  blood  introduced,  or  they  become  degenerate." 
I  have  given  these  extracts  for  the  purpose  of  showing  that  a 


202  THE    DORKING    FOWL. 

white  race  of  Dorkings  did  exist,  and  that  the  coloured, 
speckled,  and  gray  varieties  cannot  be  depended  upon  to  re- 
produce their  own  characteristics. 

Yours,  &c. 

S.  BRADFORD  MORSE,  JR. 

East  Boston,  Mass.,  December  l±th,  1850. 


203 


CHAPTER  XII. 

THE     SPANISH     FOWL. 

WITH  this  variety  of  Fowls,  I  must  confess  myself  not 
much  acquainted.  I  am  familiar  with  their  appearance  and 
general  characteristics,  but  not  so  with  their  habits  and  quali- 
ties. They  are  said  (o  possess  many  and  rare  merits.  Their 
appearance  is  certainly  very  fine,  being  spirited  and  animated. 
The  name  "  Spanish"  is  said  to  be  a  misnomer,  as  they  were 
originally  brought  by  the  Spaniards  from  the  West  Indies, 
and,  although  subsequently  propagated  in  Spain,  it  is  now  very 
difficult  to  procure  good  specimens  from  that  country.  They 
were  taken  in  considerable  numbers  from  Spain  into  Holland, 
where  they  have,  for  many  years,  been  bred  with  great  care ; 
and  it  is  now  from  that  quarter  our  best  specimens  come. 

A  thorough-bred  Spanish  Fowl  should  be  entirely  black,  as 
far  as  feathers  are  concerned,  and,  when  in  high  condition,  dis- 
play a  greenish  metallic  lustre.  The  combs  of  both  male  and 
female  are  very  large,  of  a  brilliant  scarlet,  and  that  of  the  Hen 
drooping  over  on  one  side.  Their  most  singular  feature  is  a 
white  marlc  on  each  check,  of  a  fleshy  substance,  similar  to  the 
wattles;  which  is  small  in  the  Hens,  but  large  and  very  con- 
spicuous in  the  Cocks.  '*  This  marked  contrast  of  black,  bright 
red,  and  white,  makes  the  head  of  the  Spanish  Cock  as  hand- 
some as  that  of  any  other  variety ;  and,  in  the  genuine  breed, 


204  THE     SPANISH     FOWL. 

the  whole  form  is  equally  good ;  but  the  scraggy,  iong-leggedr 
misshapen  mongrels  are  often  met  with,  enough  to  throw 
discredit  on  the  whole  race." 

I  have  seen  and  know  enough  to  regard  the  Black  Spanish, 
in  its  purity,  to  be  a  truly  distinct  variety.  A  full-grown  Cock 
may  weigh  nearly  7  lbs.,and  a  Hen  about  6  Ibs.  The  comb  is 
deeply  serrated,  and  the  wattles  are  very  long,  and  the  bird  quite 
free  from  top-knot.  They  are  not  very  pugnacious.  The  Hens 
are  not  inclined  to  sit,  but  are  very  good  layers  :  Eggs  large 
and  white. 

F.  BLAKE,  ESQ.,  kindly  furnished  the  portraits,  and  writes 
as  follows,  concerning  this  ancient  variety : — 

Boston,  December  IQtJi,  1850. 
J.  J.  KERR,  M.  D. 

Dear  Sir: — The  Black  Spanish  Fowls,  of  which  the  artist, 
Mr.  Durivage,  has  produced  a  most  faithful  representation, 
were  presented  to  me  by  James  Yates,  Esq.,  of  Lancashire, 
England,  through  Capt.  Wm.  Harrison,  of  the  British  steamer 
Canada,  in  the  autumn  of  1847.  In  describing  them,  Mr. 
Yates  remarks  :  "  I  found  great  difficulty  in  getting  the  pure 
breed  at  first,  and  I  do  not  know  of  any  one  in  this  country 
that  has  it  except  myself.  In  breeding  them,  it  is  better  to 
get  the  Dorking  Hen  for  hatching  the  Eggs." 

I  have  seen  no  breed  of  Fowls  more  peculiar,  and  strikingly 
attractive  in  its  appearance,  than  this;  and  as  regards  their 
laying  qualities,  and  character  for  the  table,  I  decidedly  prefer 
them  to  any  others  with  which  I  have  had  experience. 

The  comb  of  the  Cock  is  exceedingly  large,  deeply  serrated, 
of  a  brilliant  scarlet,  and  quite  erect.  .  The  wattles  are  of  pro- 
portionate size,  which,  with  the  large  and  beautifully  white 
ear-lobe,  or  cheek-pieces,  and  brilliant  jet-black  plumage,  pecu- 
liar to  this  variety,  affords  a  very  striking  and  agreeable 
contrast. 


THE     SPANISH    FOWL. 

The  comb  of  the  Hen  is  also  quite  large,  but  drooping,  and 
the  white  cheek-piece  is  less  conspicuous. 

The  legs  of  both  Cock  and  Hen  are  of  a  leaden  hue ;  the 
under  part  of  the  feet,  of  a  dingy  yellow. 

The  Chickens,  of  which  I  have  had  between  one  and  two 
hundred  during  the  past  season,  have  been  perfectly  uniform 
in  all  their  characteristics,  and  this  uniformity  in  the  progeny, 
I  regard  as  one  of  the  surest  tests  of  thorough  breeding.  They 
are  literally  everlasting  layers.  Their  peculiar  disinclination 
to  sit  is  very  remarkable,  and  I  regard  it  as  their  most  valu- 
able characteristic;  for,  in  my  experience,  I  have  been  exceed- 
ingly annoyed  by  the  constant  propensity  which  some  other 
breeds  have  manifested  in  this  respect.  For  the  period  of  more 
than  three  years,  during  which  I  have  had  them,  the  Hens 
have  not  in  a  single  instance  manifested  a  desire  to  sit.  Mou- 
bray,  Richardson,  Dixon,  and  other  writers,  concur  in  express- 
ing the  most  favourable  opinions  of  their  character.  "  As 
table  birds,"  says  Richardson,  "  they  hold  a  place  in  the  very 
first  rank,  their  flesh  being  particularly  white,  tender,  and 
juicy,  and  the  skin  possessing  that  beautifully  clear  white  hue, 
so  essential  a  requisite  for  birds  designed  for  the  consumption 
of  the  gourmand.  They  are,  besides,  prolific,  extremely 
easily  fed ;  and,  in  short,  I  know  of  no  Fowl  I  would  rather  re- 
commend to  the  notice  of  the  breeder." 

Dixon,  who,  I  think,  may  be  regarded  as  one  of  the  very 
best  authorities,  remarks  :  "  It  is  a  noble  race  of  Fowls,  possess- 
ing many  great  merits;  of  spirited  and  animated  appearance, 
of  considerable  size,  excellent  for  the  table,  both  in  whiteness 
of  flesh  and  skin,  and  also  in  flavour ;  laying  exceedingly  large 
Eggs  in  considerable  numbers ;  but  the  scraggy,  long-legged, 
misshapen  mongrels  one  often  sees  in  the  poorer  quarters  of  a 
town,  are  enough  to  throw  discredit  on  the  whole  race.  Find- 
ing it  too  troublesome  to  preserve  a  variety  of  breeds  in  perfect 
purity,  I  have,  after  considerable  experience,  fixed  upon  the 

18 


206  THE     SPANISH     FOWL.    ' 

Black  Spanish  as  my  preference,  and  shall  keep  but  one  other 
breed  for  sitters.  I  am  not  inclined  to  disparage  other  breeds, 
(and  I  assure  you  the  organization  of  our  society  in  New  Eng- 
land, with  its  exhibitions,  has  excited  an  interest  which  renders 
us  somewhat  sensitive  upon  this  subject,)  but  1  am  satisfied 
that,  if  persons  interested  will  confine  their  attention  to  some 
one  favourite  breed,  avoiding  a  too  frequent  propensity  for  cross 
breeding,  we  shall  soon  establish  the  fact,  that  there  is  no  de- 
scription of  stock  more  susceptible  of  improvement  than  our 
Domestic  Poultry,  and  shall  convince  those  who  are  somewhat 
inclined  to  smile  at  our  hobby,  that  the  ordinary  barn-yard 
Fowl  is  of  comparatively  little  value. 

Respectfully  yours, 

FRANCIS  BLAKE. 

Mr.  Dixon  says  : — The  Spanish  breed  is,  in  all  probability,  of 
ancient  and  remote  origin,  and  does  really  seem  to  have  reached 
us  from  the  country  after  which  it  is  named.  In  North  Devon 
they  call  the  Spanish  Fowls  "  Minorcas ;"  others  call  them  Por- 
tugal Fowl.  Neither  term  removes  them  far  from  their  old-esta- 
blished location,  if  not  their  original  home.  It  is  a  noble  race  of 
Fowls,  possessing  many  great  merits ;  of  spirited  and  animated 
appearance,  of  considerable  size,  excellent  for  the  table,  both  in 
whiteness  of  flesh  and  skin,  and  also  in  flavour,  laying  exceed- 
ingly large  Eggs  in  considerable  numbers.  Among  birds  of  its 
own  breed  it  is  not  deficient  in  courage ;  though  it  yields  with- 
out showing  much  fight  to  those  which  have  a  dash  of  game 
blood  in  their  veins.  It  is  a  general  favourite  in  all  large 
cities,  for  the  additional  advantage  that  no  soil  of  smoke  or 
dirt  is  apparent  on  its  plumage.  The  thorough-bred  birds  of 
the  fancy  should  be  entirely  black,  as  far  as  feathers  are  con- 
cerned, and,  when  in  high  condition,  display  a  greenish  metallic 
lustre.  The  combs  of  both  Cock  and  Hen  are  exceedingly 
large,  of  a  vivid  and  most  brilliant  scarlet ;  that  of  the  Hen 


THE     SPANISH     FOWL.  207 

droops  over  on  one  side.  Their  most  singular  feature  is  a 
large  white  patch,  or  ear-lobe,  an  the  cheek,  which  in  some 
specimens  extends  over  great  part  of  the  face,  of  a  fleshy  sub- 
stance, similar  to  the  wattle  ;  it  is  small  in  the  Hens,  but  large 
and  very  conspicuous  in  the  Cocks.  This  marked  contrast  of 
black,  bright  red,  and  white,  makes  the  head  of  the  Spanish 
Cock  as  handsome  as  that  of  any  variety  we  have ;  and  in  the 
genuine  breed  the  whole  form  is  equally  good :  but  the  scraggy, 
long-legged,  misshapen  mongrels  one  often  sees  in  the  poorer  quar- 
ters of  a  town,  are  enough  to  throw  discredit  on  the  whole  race. 

Spanish  Hens  are  celebrated  as  good  layers,  and  produce  very 
large,  quite  white  Eggs,  of  a  peculiar  shape,  being  very  thick 
at  both  en,ds,  and  yet  tapering  off  a  little  at  each.  They  are, 
by  no  means,  good  mothers  of  families,  even  when  they  do  sit, 
which  they  will  not  often  condescend  to  do,  proving  very  care- 
less, and  frequently  trampling  half  their  brood  under  foot. 
But  the  inconveniences  of  this  habit  are  easily  obviated  by 
causing  the  Eggs  to  be  hatched  by  some  more  motherly  Hen. 

It  has  been  noticed  that  this  variety  of  Fowl  frequently 
loses  nearly  all  the  feathers  on  the  body,  besides  the  usual 
quantity  on  ihe  neck,  wings,  and  tail ;  and,  if  they  moult  late, 
and  the  weather  is  severe,  they  feel  it  much.  Nothing  else 
can  reasonably  be  expected  to  take  place  with  an  "  everlasting 
layer."  It  often  happens  to  the  Guinea  Fowl;  and  the  reason 
of  it  is  plain.  If  the  system  of  a  bird  is  exhausted  by  the  un- 
remitting production  of  Eggs,  it  cannot  contain  within  itself 
the  wherewithal  to  supply  the  growth  of  feathers.  The  stream 
that  will  fill  but  one  channel,  cannot  be  made  to  keep  two  at 
high-water  mark;  and  therefore  Mr.  Leonard  Barber  justly 
observes,  "  With  regard  to  an  anxiety  about  their  constant 
laying,  in  my  opinion,  nature  ought  not  to  be  forced,  as  it  re- 
quires a  rest.  But  some  people  think  it  cannot  be  right  if 
their  Hens  do  not  lay  every  day;  and  I  would  advise  such  to 
have  some  early  spring  Chickens,  which  would  begin  laying  in 


208  THE     SPANISH    FOWL. 

the  autumn  and  continue  mostly  through  the  winter;  and  their 
old  Hens  would  commence  in  the  spring." 

"  I  have  had  Hens  laying  every  day,  but  never  wish  them 
to  continue  the  practice,  as,  nine  times -out  of  ten,  they  suffer 
afterwards."— H.  H. 

It  is  doubtful  whether  they  are  even  yet  thoroughly  ac- 
climatized, for  continued  frost  at  any  time  much  injures  their 
combs  ;  frequently  causing  mortification  in  the  end,  which  has 
terminated  in  death.  A  warm  poultry -house,  high  feeding, 
and  care  that  the  birds  do  not  remain  too  long  exposed  to  severe 
weather,  are  the  best  means  of  preventing  this  disfigurement. 

Some  birds  are  occasionally  produced,  handsomely  streaked 
with  red  on  the  hackle  and  back.  This  is  no  proof  of  bad 
breeding,  if  other  points  are  right.  On  the  contrary,  it  is,  as 
near  as  may  be,  the  sort  which  Columella's  relation  might  have 
kept  in  Spain,*  at  the  time  when  he  was  improving  the  native 
sheep  by  the  importation  of  rams  from  Morocco,  eighteen  hun- 
dred years  ago. 

The  Chicks  are  large,  as  would  be  expected  from  such  Eggs, 
entirely  shining  black,  except  a  pinafore  of  white  on  the  breast,  f 
and  a  slight  sprinkling  under  the  chin,  with  sometimes  also  a 
little  white  round  the  beak  and  eyes;  legs  and  feet  black. 
Many  of  them  do  not  get  perfectly  feathered  till  they  are  three 
parts  grown ;  and  therefore,  to  have  these  birds  come  to  per- 
fection in  this  country,  where  the  summers  are  so  much  shorter 
than  in  their  native  climate,  it  is  necessary  to  have  them 
hatched  early  in  spring,  so  that  they  may  get  well  covered 
with  plumage  before  the  cold  rains  of  autumn.  But,  as  Mr. 
Bissell  observes,  "  there  is  any  thing  but  an  uniformity  in  the 
time  Spanish  Chickens  get  their  plumage ;  the  Pullets  are  al- 

*  "  M.  Columella  patruus  meus,  acris  vir  ingenii,  atque  illustria 
agricola." — Lib.  vii.  c.  2. 

•f-  In  this  particular  the  Spanish  Chicks  are  precisely  like  the 
Black  Polish  Chicks.— ED. 


THE     SPANISH     FOWL.  209 

ways  earlier  and  better  feathered  than  the  Cockerels  :  the  latter 
are  generally  half  naked  for  a  considerable  length  of  time  after 
hatching.  But  this  is  not  universally  the  case,  for  some  of 
my  best  Cockerels  were  feathered  tolerably  well  at  an  early  age. 
This  is  a  fact  worth  some  particular  remark,  as  many  superfi- 
cial observers  in  this  neighbourhood  have  invariably  rejected, 
for  breeding  purposes,  the  Cockerels  which  got  their  feathera 
early,  supposing  from  that  fact  that  they  were  not  purely  bred. 
But  I  have  not  only  found  them  to  possess  all  the  qualities  of 
the  Spanish,  fully  and  truly  developed,  but  that  their  early 
feathers  so  screen  them  from  the  inclemencies  of  the  weather, 
that  they  are  enabled  soon  to  outstrip  their  Drethren  in  size." 
The  black,  however,  is  not  the  only  valuable  race  of  Spanish 
Fowl,  although  certain  metropolitan  dealers,  who  have  no 
right  to  oifer  an  opinion,  if  they  do  not  choose  to  give  infor- 
mation on  the  subject,  presume  to  affirm  that  there  can  be  no 
such  breed  as  speckled  Spanish,  it  being  characteristic  of  that 
breed  to  be  perfectly  black.  But  Mr.  Swainson  justly  com- 
plains of  the  deficiencies  and  the  conduct  of  this  class  of  people ; 
and  it  is  surprising  that,  since  the  establishment  of  the  Zoolo- 
gical Society,  they  have  not  seen  both  the  impolicy  and  the 
impracticability  of  withholding  information  on  natural  history 
from  the  public ;  for  I  cannot  suppose  the  folly  of  any  attempt 
to  mislead.  "  Our  first  idea  was  to  have  drawn  up  (in  the 
volume  on  birds)  as  complete  a  catalogue  as  possible  of  all  such 
foreign  birds  as  were  to  be  met  with  in  our  public  or  private 
menageries,  distinguishing  such  as  were  known  to  have  bred 
in  confinement,  and  had  consequently  become  domesticated, 
from  such  as  were  merely  acclimated,  or  accustomed  to  our 
climate.  This,  without  doubt,  would  have  been  the  most  de- 
sirable plan  of  proceeding,  and  would  have  given  that  informa- 
tion to  the  lovers  of  aviaries,  which  is  now  so  much  wanted  j 
but  further  inquiry  showed  us  the  utter  impossibility  of  doing 
iliis,  from  the  total  absence  of  the  necessary  materials.  It  has 

18* 


210  THE     SPANISH     FOWL. 

not  been  heretofore  the  custom  of  recording  in  print,  informa- 
tion of  this  nature.  Those  persons  whose  trade  lies  in  the 
buying  and  selling  of  living  birds,  and  of  which  there  are  seve- 
ral in  London,  are  not  persons  capable  of  writing  upon  such 
matters,  even  had  they  the  inclination  to  reveal  ichat  they  no 
doubt  consider  the  secrets  of  their  craft.  The  Zoological  Society, 
on  the  other  hand,  by  embracing  within  its  objects  the  whole 
animal  kingdom,  has  hitherto  found  itself  so  occupied,  and  its 
attention  so  distracted,  by  the  multiplicity  of  its  concerns  and 
the  paucity  of  its  working  members,  that  nothing  worth  men- 
tioning has  been  communicated  to  the  public  on  this  interest- 
ing subject.  However  desirable,  therefore,  such  an  exposition 
as  we  at  first  contemplated  would  be,  it  never  can  be  carried 
into  execution,  unless  by  ike  powerful  and  united  assistance  of 
those  who  direct  their  time  and  attention  almost  exclusively  to 
the  rearing  and  management  of  birds." — Animals  in  Menage- 
ries, Part  II.  "Birds,"  pp.  147,  148. 

A  gentleman,  who  has  served  in  the  British  army,  in  whose 
opinion,  as  a  naturalist  and  a  man  of  education,  we  have  as 
great  confidence  as  in  that  of  any  mere  fowl-dealer,  states,  "  In 
England  there  are  two  varieties  of  Spanish  Fowl,  the  Black, 
and  the  Gray,  or  Speckled,  the  latter  being  of  a  slaty  gray 
with  white  legs.  In  Spain  there  must  be  many  varieties  of 
everlasting  layers,  for  I  have  seen  a  lot  abroad  that  differed 
widely  in  appearance,  single  combs,  double  combs,  and  a  great 
variety  of  colour." 

Mr.  Barber  says,  "  Being  of  opinion  that  our  breed  of  Fowls 
required  improvement,  and  having  heard  from  a  Spanish  friend 
that  they  had  a  very  fine  breed  in  the  part  of  Spain  he  came 
from,  which  were  chiefly  white  or  speckled,  I  last  year  (1846) 
got  him  to  procure  me  some,  and  finding  that  they  were  such 
excellent  layers,  and  that  they  were  so  much  admired  by  every 
one  who  saw  them,  I  got  another  importation  about  a  month 
since,  (Nov.  6th,  1847,)  amongst  which  there  are  three 


"THE   SPANISH  FOWL.  211 

speckled  black  and  white,  in  shape  and  carriage  very  much 
like  the  spangled  Polish,  (except  being  much  longer  in  the  leg,) 
having  top-knots,  and  a  tuft  of  feathers  hanging  under  the 
throat,  and  white  legs.  The  others  are  pure  white,  in  shape 
and  carriage  exactly  like  the  black  Spanish,  only  wanting  the 
white  cheek-patch.  They  are  much  larger  and  broader  than 
any  of  the  black  I  have  ever  seen,  and  they  are  very  fine  in 
the  neighbourhood  of  London.  The  Cock  that  came  with  the 
first  lot  is  entirely  black,  and  long  in  the  legs,  but  without  the 
white  cheek-patch.  In  my  opinion,  they  are  the  most  useful 
and  ornamental  breed  of  Fowls  both  for  the  breeder  and  ama- 
teur. Their  Eggs  are  equal  in  size  and  number  to  those  of 
the  black  Spanish.  Some  of  mine  last  year  weighed  three, 
and  some  four  ounces  each.  They  appear  very  healthy  and 
hardy.  My  Fowls  came  from  the  neighbourhood  of  Xeres  de 
la  Frontera,  in  Andalusia,  about  twenty-five  miles  from  Cadiz. 
They  have  cost  me  about  ten  shillings  each,  including  freight, 
duty,  and  expense  of  clearing." 

Another  gentleman  says,  "  I  have  a  few  Chickens  out,  from 
Mr.  Barber's  Andalusian  Hens,  some  of  which  seem  to  be  the 
true  old  black  Spanish,  and  others  of  a  grisly  white,  one  of 
which  has  evident  signs  of  a  large  future  muff,  but  not  the 
slightest  semblance  of  a  top-knot  at  present.  They  are  with- 
out exception  the  very  largest  and  finest  Chicks  I  ever  saw, 
coming,  as  they  do,  out  of  Eggs,  fine  certainly,  but  which  do  not 
exceed  many  of  my  own." — H.  H. 

Some  of  these  birds  are  of  a  blue,  or  gray,  or  slaty  colour. 
Their  growth  is  so  rapid,  and  their  eventual  size  so  large,  that 
they  are  remarkably  slow  in  obtaining  their  feathers.  Although 
well  covered  with  down  when  first  hatched,  they  look  almost 
naked  when  half-grown,  and  should  therefore  be  hatched  as 
early  in  the  spring  as  possible. 

The  cross  between  the  Pheasant-Malay  and  the  Spanish  pro- 


212  THE     SPANISH     FOWL. 

duces  a  particularly  handsome  Fowl,  and  probably  very  much 
resembling  the  old  Hispanic  type. 

A  Black  Spanish  Cock  has  been  taught  to  visit  the  sill  of 
his  master's  bed-room  window  every  morning,  and  continue 
crowing  till  he  was  rewarded  with  a  piece  of  bread. 

Mr.  Barber  subsequently  adds,  "  The  tufted  Fowls  I  had 
from  Spain  have  not  proved  such  good  layers  as  the  speckled 
single-combed.  I  have  kept  a  correct  account  this  season 
(1848)  of  the  number  of  Eggs  I  have  had  from  them,  and  it 
amounts  to  above  fourteen  hundred,  and  they  are  still  (Sept. 
llth)  laying.  I  began  the  season  with  twenty-three  Hens. 
One  has  reared  a  brood  of  Chickens.  Two  died  early  in  the 
season.  This  is  a  much  larger  number  than  I  have  ever  had 
from  any  of  the  BlacJc,  Spanish  I  have  kept.  There  is  one 
great  imperfection  in  these  Fowls,  which  I  think  it  right  to 
mention,  and  that  is,  I  have  lost  nine  from  laying,  or  rather, 
attempting  to  lay,  soft  Eggs,  and  they  have  all  been  Hens 
which  laid  the  largest  Eggs.  However,  lam  inclined  to  think 
this  is  in  a  great  measure  owing  to  the  confined  space  in  which 
they  are  kept."  There  is  no  doubt  of  it,  and  that  the  evil 
would  cease  were  the  Hens  indulged  with  a  more  extended 
range,  where  they  could  help  themselves  to  chalky  earth,  lime- 
rubbish,  and  other  natural  medicines  that  are  perhaps  unsus- 
pected by  us.  Nor  have  towns  people  an  idea  of  the  intense 
longing  which  their  Fowls  feel  for  any  thing  green,  such  as 
cabbage-leaves,  turnip  tops,  and  so  on.  The  thousand-headed 
cabbage  is  very  serviceable  for  them ;  and  those  who  have  only 
a  small  garden  can  provide  some  supply  of  green  food  for  their 
poultry,  by  having  the  edgings  of  parsley,  instead  of  box,  or 
thrift.  The  Fowls  are  very  fond  of  it,  as  a  variation  from 
cabbage-leaves. 

We  cannot  too  much  insist  upon  the  value  of  early  Pullets 
for  laying  purposes  in  the  autumn  and  winter  after  they  are 
hatched.  No  Fowls  can  surpass  the  Spanish  in  this  respect. 


THE     SPANISH     FOWL.  213 

A  correspondent  (J.  S.  W.)  believes  that  they  are  also  more 
precocious  in  their  constitution,  and  that,  in  consequence,  the 
Pullets  lay  at  an  earlier  age  than  those  of  other  breeds.  He 
had  two  Black  Spanish  Pullets  which  were  hatched  on  the  2d 
of  February,  and  commenced  laying  on  the  18th  and  19th  of 
the  July  following,  and  kept  it  up  through  the  winter.  The 
constant  use  of  a  memorandum-book  would  fix  many  of  these 
interesting  little  facts.  It  would  be  useful  to  institute  a  com- 
petition between  different  breeds.  An  experiment  with  a  lot 
of  Chickens  of  distinct  varieties,  hatched  on  the  same  day,  and 
reared  in  the  same  yard  under  the  same  treatment,  would  be 
instructive,  if  the  results  were  noted. 

There  is  a  large  breed  of  Fowls  brought  from  Constantinople 
and  the  shores  of  the  Black  Sea.  I  have  had  no  opportunity 
of  seeing  specimens,  but  it  would  appear  to  be  a  branch  of  the 
Spanish.  The  Hens  are  described  as  having  a  large  flaccid 
comb,  flapping  about  like  a  piece  of  serrated  red  velvet,  and  as 
being  astonishing  layers,  seldom  sitting.  It  is  a  speculation 
whether  the  Spanish  came  to  us  from  the  East,  southwards, 
via  the  Black  Sea,  while  the  Polish  might  reach  us  overland 
through  Russia. 


214 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

THE     GAME     FOWL. 

Or  all  the  varieties  of  Domestic  Fowls,  except,  perhaps,  the 
Smooth-legged  Bantam,  the  Game  Fowl  is  the  most  symmetri- 
cal. It  is  more  slender  in  the  body,  the  neck,  the  bill,  and  the 
legs,  than  other  kinds,  and  the  various  hues  of  the  plumage  are 
more  brilliant  and  showy.  Their  flesh  is  white,  compact) — like 
that  of  the  race-horse  as  compared  with  the  scrub, — delicate, 
and  very  nutritious ;  but  the  extreme  difficulty  of  rearing  the 
Chickens,  owing  to  their  natural  pugnacity,  which  shows  it- 
self at  a  very  early  period,  deters  most  breeders,  excepting 
those  who  breed  for  the  cock-pit.  "  Whole  broods,  scarcely 
feathered,  are  sometimes  stone-blind  from  fighting,  to  the  very 
smallest  individuals :  the  rival  couples  moping  in  corners,  and 
renewing  their  battles  on  obtaining  the  first  ray  of  light." 
The  game  Eggs  are  rather  smaller  than  common,  but  finely- 
shaped,  and  extremely  rich  and  delicate.  The  weight  of  this 
Fowl  is  from  3|  to  5j  Ibs.,  though  I  have  heard  of  8  Ibs.,  and 
my  friend,  Win.  Wi§tar,  Esq.,  near  German  town,  assures  me 
that  he  has  a  Game  Cock,  thorough-bred,  that  now  weighs 
9£  Ibs.  The  practice  of  fighting  Cocks  is  supposed  to  be  of 
Grecian  origin.  It  was  adopted  by  the  Romans  about  470 
years  before  the  Christian  era.  For  the  gratification  of  the 
curious  in  this  matter,  I  will  extract,  from  a  work  recently 
published  in  Ireland,  the  following  account  of  Cocking : — 

It  is  not  particularly  known  when  the  pitched  battle  was 


THE     GAME     FOWL.  215 

first  introduced  into  England.  We  have  no  notice  of  Cock- 
fighting  earlier  than  the  reign  of  Henry  II.  William  Fitz- 
Stephen  describes  it,  then,  as  the  sport  of  school-boys,  on 
Shrove  Tuesday ;  the  theatre  was  the  school,  and  the  school- 
master, it  seems,  was  the  controller  and  director  of  the  sport. 
The  practice  was  prohibited  in  the  89th  of  Edward  III.,  but 
became  general  under  Henry  VIII.,  who  was  personally 
attached  to  it,  and  established  the  cock-pit  at  Whitehall,  to 
bring  it  more  into  credit.  James  the  First  was  so  remarkably 
fond  of  it,  that,  according  to  Monsieur  de  la  Bodenie,  who  was 
ambassador  for  Henry  IV.  to  the  king,  he  constantly  amused 
himself  with  it  twice  a  week.  Under  Elizabeth,  it  was  not 
less  in  vogue,  and  the  learned  Roger  Ascham  then  favoured 
the  world  with  a  treatise  on  the  subject.  There  was  then  a 
pit  in  Drury-lane,  Horseferry-road,  and  Grray's-Inn-lane,  St. 
James's  Park,  and  another  in  Jewin-street ',  but  the  practice 
was  a  second  time  prohibited,  by  an  act  under  the  Protector- 
ship, in  1554.  Our  Dublin  pits  are  of  a  more  recent  date,  the 
principal  of  which  were  in  Clarendon-street  and  Essex-street, 
where  the  Meaths  and  Kildares  often  proved  the  powers  of 
their  Cocks.  The  lights  were  managed  by  men,  who  made  a 
livelihood  by  it,  and  were  called  handlers :  they  alone  were 
admissible  within  the  "  magic  circle." 

A  cock-pit,  like  a  race-course,  in  a  sporting  point  of  view, 
was  for  every  person,  and  selection  of  company  was  entirely 
out  of  the  question.  The  noble'lord,  and  the  needy  commoner, 
were  both  at  home,  after  they  -had  paid  their  tip  for  admis- 
sion ;  and  persons  who  enter  the  pit  to  sport  a  crown,  bet  a 
sovereign,  or  put  down  their  pounds,  are  too  much  interested 
upon  the  main,  to  consider  who  they  may  choose  to  (( rub 
against"  for  the  time  being. 

Cocking  was  kept  up  with  great  spirit  at  Newcastle.  At  one 
of  their  last  meetings,  the  cockers  at  the  above  place,  in  point 
of  extent,  exceeded  every  thing  of  the  kind  known  in  Great 


216  THE     GAME     FOWL. 

Britain.  Upwards  of  200  Cocks  were  fought,  and  the  fight- 
ing generally  good,  particularly  the  Cocks  of  Baglin-hill  and 
Lockey,  which  all  won  great  majorities.  A  remarkable  cir- 
cumstance occurred  on  the  Saturday  before  fighting.  A  match 
was  made  for  20  sovereigns,  between  Parker  and  Reed,  feed- 
ers, and  won  by  the  latter,  after  a  hard  contest.  Parker's 
Cock,  however,  came  round  so  soon  after,  that  his  party  made 
a  second  match,  to  come  off  on  the  following  Monday,  for  a 
like  sum,  which  was  again  won  by  Reed,  after  a  severe  battle 
— a  circumstance,  perhaps,  altogether  unknown  in  the  annals 
of  cocking.  It  is  also  calculated  that,  at  the  termination  of 
the  races,  which  finished  with  cocking,  upwards  of  1,000  Cocks 
had  met  their  deaths.  Newcastle,  therefore,  challenged  the 
world  for  cocking.  Cheltenham,  Chester,  Gloucester,  Nor- 
wich, Lancaster,  Preston,  Stamford,  &c.  &c.,  were  celebrated 
for  their  Cocks.  The  patrons  were  the  Earl  of  Derby,  Sir 
William  Wynne,  Ralph  Benson,  Esq.,  &c.  &c. 

The  exterior  qualifications  of  a  Cock  are,  head  thin  and  long, 
or,  if  not,  very  taper ;  a  large,  full  eye ;  beak  crooked  and 
stout;  neck  thick  and  long,  (a  Cock  with  a  long  neck  has  a 
great  advantage  in  his  battle,  particularly  if  his  antagonist  is 
one  of  those  Cocks  that  will  fight  at  no  other  place  but  the 
head ;)  his  body  short  and  compact,  with  a  round  breast,  (as  a 
sharp-breasted  Cock  carries  a  great  deal  of  useless  weight  about 
him,  and  never  has  a  fine  forehand ;)  his  thighs  fine  and  thick, 
and  placed  well  up  to  the  shoulder,  (for  where  a  Cock's  legs 
hang  dangling  behind  him,  be- assured  he  never  can  maintain 
a  long  battle ;)  his  legs  long  and  thick,  and  if  they  correspond 
with  the  colour  of  his  beak — blue,  gray,  or  yellow — I  think  it 
a  perfection ;  his  feet  should  be  broad  and  thin,  with  very  long 
claws.  With  regard  to  his  carriage,  he  should  be  upright,  but 
not  stiffly  so ;  his  walk  should  be  stately,  with  his  wings  in 
some  measure  extended,  and  not  plod  along,  as  I  have  seen 
some  Cocks  do;  with  their  wings  upon  their  backs,  like  geese ; 


THE     GAME     £OWL.  217 

his  colour  rather  gray,  yellow,  or  rose,  with  black  breast ;  his 
spurs  rough,  long,  and  looking  inward.  As  to  the  colour  he 
is  of,  it  is  immaterial ;  there  are  good  Cocks  of  all  colours ; 
but  he  should  be  thin  of  feathers,  short,  and  very  hard,  which 
is  another  proof  of  his  being  healthy.  Remember  that  a 
Cock,  with  all  his  stoutness,  length,  and  thickness  of  leg, 
rotundity  of  breast,  "  fine  forehand,"  firmness  of  neck,  and  ex- 
tent of  wing,  ought  not  to  weigh  more  than  4  Ib.  8  or  10  oz. ; 
if  he  happen  to  have  an  ounce  or  two  more  in  his  composition, 
he  is  out  of  the  pale  of  the  pit,  and  is  excluded  by  all  match- 
makers, from  ((  fighting  within  the  articles."  A  bird,  to  be  a 
bird,  "fit  for  the  white  bag,  the  trimmed  wing,  the  mat,  and 
the  silver  spur,"  must  be  light  upon  the  leg,  light-fleshed,  and 
large-boned,  but  still  no  more  than  4  Ib.  8  or  10  oz. 

A  cock-pit  was  a  large,  lofty,  circular  building,  with  seats 
rising,  as  in  an  amphitheatre ;  in  the  middle  of  it  was  a  round, 
matted  stage,  of  about  18  or  20  feet  in  diameter,  and  rimmed 
with  an  edge,  eight  or  ten  inches  in  height,  to  keep  the  Cocks 
from  falling  over  in  their  combats ;  there  was  a  chalk  ring  in 
the  centre  of  the  matted  stage,  of  perhaps  a  yard  diameter, 
and  another  chalk-mark  within  it,  much  smaller,  which  was 
intended  for  the  setting-to,  when  the  shattered  birds  were  so 
enfeebled  as  to  have  no  power  of  making  hostile  advances  to» 
wards  each  other.  This  inner  mark  admitted  of  their  being 
placed  beak  to  beak.  A  large  and  rude  branched  candlestick 
was  suspended  low  down,  immediately  over  the  mat,  which 
was  used  at  the  night-battles.  The  birds  were  weighed  and 
matched,  and  then  marked  and  numbered;  the  descriptions 
were  carefully  set  down,  in  order  that  the  Cock  should  not  be 
changed ;  the  lightest  Cocks  fought  first  in  order.  The  key 
of  the  pens,  in  which  the  Cocks  were  set  and  numbered,  was 
left  on  the  weighing-table,  or  the  opposite  party  might,  if  he 
pleased,  put  a  lock  on  the  door.  The  utmost  possible  care,  in 
short,  was  taken,  that  the  matched  birds  should  fight,  and  no 

19 


218  THE     GAME     FOWL. 

substitutes  intruded.  The  following  sketch  of  a  set-to,  is  from 
the  pen  of  a  celebrated  amateur  : — 

The  only  persons  allowed  on  the  platform  are  the  setters-to. 
The  first  I  shall  name  Nash;  the  younger ;  he  was  followed  by 
a  stout,  plump,  old,  ostler-looking  man,  named  Nash,  the  elder. 
This  person  carried  a  white  bag,  containing  one  of  the  brave 
birds  for  the  battle.  The  two  men  stepped  upon  the  mat ;  the 
hubbub  is  instantaneous — tl  Two  to  one  on  Nash" — <c  A  guinea 
on  Nash'7 — "  Nash  a  crown ;"  the  bets  are  laid  on  the  setter- 
to.  From  the  opposite  side  of  the  pit,  a  similar  procession 
entered ;  the  setter-to,  Fleming,  by  name,  did  not  appear  so 
great  a  favourite  as  young  Nash.  The  chuckle  of  the  Cock  in 
his  bag  was  answered  deeply  and  savagely  from  the  other, 
and  the  straw  seemed  spurned  in  the  narrow  cell. 

Nash's  bag  was  carefully  untied,  and  Nash  himself  took  out 
one  of  the  handsomest  birds  I  think  I  ever  beheld ;  he  was  a 
red  and  black  bird ;  slim,  masculine,  trimmed,  yet  with  feath- 
ers glossy,  as  though  the  sun  shone  only  on  his  nervous  wings  ; 
his  neck  arose  out  of  the  bag,  snake-like — terrible — as  if  it 
would  stretch  upwards  to  the  ceiling ;  his  body  followed — com- 
pact, strong,  and  beautiful ;  and  his  long,  dark-blue,  sinewy 
legs  came  forth — clean,  handsome,  shapely,  determined,  iron- 
like  !  The  silver  spur  was  on  each  heel,  of  an  inch  and  a  half 
in  length,  tied  on  in  the  most  delicate  and  neat  manner ;  his 
large,  vigorous  beak  showed  aquiline,  eagle-like  ;  and  his  black, 
dilating  eyes  took  in  all  around  him,  and  shone  so  intensely 
brilliant,  that  they  looked  like  jewels ;  their  light  was  that  of 
thoughtful,  sedate,  and  savage  courage  \  his  comb  was  cut  close  • 
his  neck  trimmed ;  his  wings  clipped,  pointed,  and  strong ;  the 
feathers  on  his  back  were  of  the  very  glossiest  red,  and  ap- 
peared to  be  the  only  ones  which  were  left  untouched  ;  the  tail 
was  docked  triangle-ways,  like  a  hunter's.  The  gallant  bird 
clucked  defiance,  and  looked  as  if  he  "  had  in  him  something 
dangerous  I"  Nash  gave  him  to  Fleming,  who  held  him  up 


THE    GAME     FOWL.  219 

above  his  head,  examined  his  beak,  his  wings,  his  legs,  while 
a  person  read  to  him  the  description  of  the  bird  from  paper ; 
and  upon  finding  all  correct,  he  delivered  the  rich,  feathered 
warrior  back  to  Nash,  and  proceeded  to  produce  his  own  bird 
for  a  similar  examination. 

But  I  must  speak  of  the  senior  Nash — the  old  man,  the 
feeder.  When  again  may  I  have  an  opportunity  of  describing 
him  ?  and  what  ought  a  paper  upon  cocking  be  accounted  worth, 
if  it  fail  to  contain  some  sketch,  however  slight,  of  old  Nash  ? 
He  wore  a  smock-frock,  and  was  clumsily,  though  potently 
built,  his  shoulders  being  ample,  and  of  a  rotundity  resembling 
a  wool-pack ;  his  legs  were  not  equal  to  his  bulk ;  he  was  un- 
conversational,  almost  to  a  fault,  and  never  made  even  the 
slightest  remark  that  did  not  appertain  to  Cocks  or  cocking ; 
his  narrow,  damp,  colourless  eye,  twinkled  a  cold  satisfaction 
when  a  bird  of  promise  made  good  work  on  the  mat,  and  some- 
times, though  seldom,  he  was  elevated  into  the  proffer  of  a 
moderate  bet;  but  generally  he  leaned  over  the  rails  of  a  small 
gallery,  running  parallel  with  the  coop,  and,  stooping  attentively 
towards  the  pit,  watched  the  progress  of  the  battle.  I  re- 
marked he  was  extremely  like  a  Cock — old  Nash's  beaked 
nose,  drawn  close  down,  over  his  mouth ;  his  red  forehead  and 
gills ;  his  round  body ;  and  blue,  thin  legs ;  and  his  silver- 
gray,  scanty,  feathery  hair,  lying  like  a  plume  over  his  head, 
all  proved  him  Cock-like.  This  man,  thought  I,  has  been 
cooped  up  in  pens,  or  penned  up  in  coops,  until  he  has  become 
shaped,  coloured,  mannered  like  the  bird  he  has  been  feeding. 
I  should  scarcely  have  been  surprised,  if  told,  that  old  Nash 
crowed  when  the  light  first  dawned  of  a  summer's  morning. 
I  warrant  he  pecked  bread  and  milk  to  some  tune,  and,  per- 
haps, slept  upon  a  perch !  But  Fleming  lifted  his  bird  from 
the  bag,  and  my  whole  mind  was  directed  his  way  :  this  was  a 
yellow-bodied,  black-winged,  handsome  Cock,  seemingly  rather 
slight,  but  elastic  and  muscular ;  he  was  restless  at  the  sight 


220  THE     GAME     FOWL. 

of  his  antagonist,  but  quite  silent ;  and  old  Nash  examined  him 
most  carefully,  by  the  paper,  and  delivered  him  up  to  Flem- 
ing, upon  finding  him  answer  to  his  description.  The  setters- 
to  then  smoothed  their  birds,  and  handled  them,  wetted  their 
fingers,  and  moistened  their  bandaged  ankles,  where  the  spurs 
were  fastened ;  held  them  up  opposite  to  each  other,  and  then 
pampered  their  courage  and  prepared  them  for  combat. 


THE   FIGHT. 

The  mat  was  cleared  of  all  persons  except  Fleming  and 
young  Nash ;  the  betting  went  on  vociferously ;  the  setters-to 
taunted  the  birds  with  each  other's  presence — allowed  them  to 
strike  at  each  other  at  a  distance — put  them  on  the  mat  facing 
each  other — encouraged  and  fed  their  crowing  and  mantling, 
until  they  were  nearly  dangerous  to  hold,  and  then  loosened 
them  against  each  other,  for  the  fatal  fight. 

The  first  terrific  dart  into  attitude  was,  indeed,  strikingly 
grand  and  beautiful ;  and  the  wary  sparring,  watching,  dodg- 
ing for  the  first  cut,  was  extremely  curious.  They  were  beak- 
point  to  beak-point,  until  they  dashed  up  into  one  tremendous 
flirt,  mingling  their  powerful,  rustling  wings,  and  nervous 
heels,  in  one  furious,  confused  mass.  The  leap,  the  fire,  the 
passion  of  strength,  certaminis  gaudia,  were  fierce  and  loud  : 
the  parting  was  another  kind  of  thing,  every  way.  I  can  com- 
pare the  sound  of  the  first  flight  to  nothing  less  than  that  of  a 
wet  umbrella  forced  suddenly  open.  The  separation  was  death- 
like :  the  yellow,  or  rather  the  ginger  bird,  staggered  out  of 
the  close,  drooping,  dismantled,  bleeding  :  he  was  struck. 

Fleming  and  Nash  severally  took  their  birds,  examined  them 
for  a  moment,  and  then  set  them  again  opposite  to  each  other. 
The  handling  of  the  Cocks  was  as  delicate  as  if  they  had  been 
made  of  foam,  froth,  or  any  perishable  matter.  Fleming's 
bird  staggered  towards  his  opponent,  but  he  was  hit  dreadfully, 


THE    GAME    FOWL.  221 

and  ran  like  a  drunken  man — tottering  on  his  breast,  sinking 
back  his  tail — while  Nash's,  full  of  fire  and  irritated  courage, 
gave  the  finishing  stroke,  that  clove  every  particle  of  life  in 
twain.  The  brave  bird  thus  killed,  dropped  at  once  from  the 
(( gallant  bearing,  and  proud  mien/'  to  the  relaxed,  draggled, 
motionless  object  that  lay  in  bleeding  ruin  on  the  mat.  I  sighed 
and  looked  thoughtful,  when  the  tumult  of  the  betters  startled 
me  into  a  consciousness  of  the  scene  at  which  I  was  present. 

The  victor  Cock  was  carried  by  me  in  all  his  pride,  slightly 
scarred,  but  evidently  made  doubly  fierce  and  muscular,  by 
the  short  encounter  he  had  been  engaged  in.  He  seemed  to 
have  grown  double  the  size :  his  eyes  were  larger. 

The  paying  backward  and  forward  of  money,  won  and  lost, 
occupied  the  time  until  the  two  Nashes  again  descended  with 
another  Cock. 

Sometimes  the  first  blow  was  fatal,  at  another  time  the  con- 
test was  long  and  doubtful,  and  the  Cocks  showed  all  the  ob- 
stinate courage,  weariness,  distress,  and  breathlessness,  which 
mark  the  struggle  of  experienced  pugilists.  I  saw  the  beak 
open,  the  tongue  palpitate,  the  wing  drag  on  the  mat :  I  no- 
ticed the  legs  tremble,  and  the  body  topple  over  upon  the 
breast  ]  the  eye  grow  dim,  and  even  a  perspiration  break  out 
upon  the  feathers  of  the  back.  When  the  battle  lasted  long, 
and  the  Cocks  lay  helpless  near  or  upon  each  other,  one  of  the 
feeders  counted  ten  and  the  birds  were  separated  and  set-to 
at  the  chalk.  If  the  beaten  bird  does  not  fight  while  forty  is 
counted,  and  the  other  pecks  or  shows  signs  of  battle,  the 
former,  is  declared  conquered. 

The  Cocks  were  the  next  object  of  curiosity.  A  covering 
was  hung  before  each  pen,  so  that  I  heard  rather  than  saw  the 
Cocks;  but  it  was  feeding  time,  and  I  beheld  innumerable 
rocky  beaks,  and  sparkling  eyes  at  work  in  the  troughs ;  and 
the  stroke  of  the  beak,  in  taking  up  the  barley,  was  like  the- 

19* 


222  THE    GAME     FOWL. 

knock  of  a  manly  knuckle  on  the  table.     Old  Nash  was  mix- 
ing bread  and  milk  for  his  feathered  family. 

Now  hear  what  Mr.  Dixon  says  concerning  the  Game  Cock : 
— The  Game  Cock  is  by  no  means  the  aggressive,  sanguinary 
tyrant  that  he  is  commonly  represented  to  be.  He  will  sub- 
mit to  no  insult  or  intrusion  within  his  own  domain;  but 
neither  does  he  offer  any  unprovoked  assault.  If  his  antago- 
nist flee,  he  is  satisfied,  and  does  not  pursue  him  in  order  to 
perpetrate  any  bloody  revenge.  Other  poultry  that  are  killed 
by  Game  Cocks,  generally  draw  down  the  punishment  upon 
themselves,  by  their  own  impudent  and  continued  aggression. 
The  bird,  too,  is  as  enduring  of  pain  as  he  is  bold  in  combat. 
We  were  compelled,  to  prevent  mischief,  by  amputating  the 
spurs  of  a  Game  Cock :  he  bore  the  operation,  and  the  subse- 
quent application  of  hot  iron  to  prevent  bleeding,  without  a 
sound  or  a  murmur ;  and  when  set  down  iji  the  midst  of  his 
Hens,  was  as  lofty  and  imperious  in  his  carriage  as  ever. 
"Avis  pugnax,"  "the  pugnacious  bird,"  is  a  term  applied  by 
Aldrovandi,  not  to  fighting  Cocks,  but  to  Ruffs  and  Reeves. 
A  false  notion  of  their  savage  disposition  is  also  derived  from 
the  sight  of  the  sparrings  of  the  half-grown  chickens  :  but  the 
Pullets  will  indulge  in  this  game  as  well  as  the  Cockerels.  It 
is  very  rarely  that  mischief  is  meant  by  such  tiltings.  We 
might  remember  that  the  play  of  all  young  animals  is  a  sham- 
fight.  Young  Lambs  run  races  to  obtain  possession  of  a  hil- 
lock, from  which  the  strongest  will  rebut  the  weak.  Puppies 
snarl,  and  growl,  and  snap,  and  struggle,  all  in  perfect  good- 
nature. Kittens  will  roll  over  each  other,  and  grapple,  and 
show  in  sport  the  best  method  of  disembowelling  an  enemy 
with  their  hind  claws,  if  one  of  the  playmates  were  but  a  rat. 
Even  boys  can  play  at  French  and  English ;  and  a  couple  of 
Cockerels  will  often  stand  beak  to  beak,  making  two  or  three 
jumps  with  outstretched  neck  and  ruffled  hackle,  but  with  no 


THE     GAME     FOWL.  223 

more  evil  intention  (for  the  present)  than  many  a  gentleman 
when  he  sets  to  his  partner  in  a  quadrille. 

Sir  W.  Hooker  gives  a  very  pleasing  instance  of  animal 
skirmishing,  which  he  observed  while  making  his  tour  in  Ice- 
land : — 

"  Had  I  been  the  only  person  to  witness  the  following  cir- 
cumstance concerning  the  Dogs  in  Iceland,  I  should  scarcely 
have  ventured  to  relate  the  anecdote ;  but  my  scruples  are 
removed,  as,  so  far  from  this  having  been  the  case,  I  was  not 
even  the  first  who  saw  it ;  for  Mr.  Browning,  an  officer  of  the 
Talbot,  whose  ill-health  confined  him  to  a  room  on  shore,  called 
my  attention  to  it,  by  more  than  once  remarking  to  me  that 
he  had,  from  his  window,  in  the  morning  of  several  successive 
days,  observed,  at  a  certain  hour,  a  number  of  Dogs  assemble 
near  his  house,  as  if  by  a  previously  concerted  arrangement, 
and,  after  performing  a  sort  of  sham-fight  for  some  time,  dis- 
perse and  return  to  their  homes.  A  desire  to  be  an  eye-wit- 
ness of  so  singular  a  fact,  led  me  to  go  to  this  gentleman's 
room  one  morning,  just  as  these  animals  were  about  to  collect. 
The  spot  they  frequented  was  across  the  river,  which  there  are 
but  two  ways  of  passing  from  the  town  without  swimming, 
the  one  a  bridge,  the  other  some  stepping-stones,  each  situated 
at  a  small  distance  from  the  other.  By  both  these  approaches 
to  the  field,  the  Dogs  belonging  to  Reikevig  were  running  with 
the  greatest  speed,  while  their  companions  of  the  neighbouring 
country  were  hastening  to  the  place  of  rendezvous  from  other 
quarters.  We  counted  twenty-five  of  them,  not  all  of  the  true 
Icelandic  stock,  (the  Fiaar-huundar,}  but  some  of  different, 
kinds,  which  had  probably  been  brought  to  the  country  by  the 
Danes ;  and  I  presume  it  was  one  of  these,  much  larger  and 
stronger  than  the  rest,  who  placed  himself  upon  an  eminence 
in  the  centre  of  the  crowd.  In  a  few  seconds,  three  or  four 
of  them  left  the  main  body,  and  ran  to  the  distance  of  thirty 
or  forty  yards,  where  they  skirmished  in  a  sort  of  sham-battle; 


224  THE     GAME     FOWL. 

after  which  one  or  two  of  these  returned,  and  one,  two,  or 
three  others  immediately  took  their  places ;  party  succeeding 
party,  till  most,  if  not  all,  had  had  their  share  in  the  sport. 
The  captain  remained  stationary.  The  engagement  was  in 
this  manner  kept  up  by  different  detachments,  the  Dogs  con- 
tinuing their  amusement  in  playfulness  and  good  humour, 
though  not  without  much  barking  and  noise,  for  about  a 
quarter  of  an  hour,  when  the  whole  of  them  dispersed,  and 
took  the  way  to  their  respective  homes  in  a  less  hasty  manner 
than  they  had  arrived." 

Allowing  for  the  inferior  intelligence  of  Fowls,  many  of  the 
gambols  of  chickens  are  similar  to  this.  The  Cock  of  the 
Walk  never  interferes  with  such  harmless  frolics,  which  he 
would  do  if  they  threatened  any  thing  serious.  Were  I  to 
compare  the  temperament  of  Game  Fowls  with  that  of  the 
human  race,  I  should  say  they  had  not  one  atom  of  the  lym- 
phatic in  their  composition,  but  a  happy  combination  of  the 
sanguine  and  the  nervous.  The  Game  breed,  among  Fowls, 
has  been  likened  to  the  Arabian,  among  Horses.  Their  frame 
is  compacted  of  solid  flesh  and  gristle  :  even  the  feathers  of 
the  Game  Cock  (excepting  the  standards  and  the  hackle)  fit 
very  tightly  and  closely  to  the  body  of  the  bird,  giving  it, 
when  in  high  condition,  a  sort  of  crustaceous  or  even  ena- 
melled appearance,  as  if  it  were  a  piece  of  living  Japan-work. 

But  though  we  wish  to  clear  the  Game  breeds  from  the 
charge  of  blood-thirsty  cruelty,  we  cannot  hold  them  out  as 
patterns  of  gentleness  and  forbearance.  Might,  with  them, 
makes  right.  None  but  the  brave,  however  well  they  may 
deserve,  or  how  much  soever  they  may  long  for,  are  likely  to 
enjoy,  any  favour  from  the  present  class  of  rusty-fusty  coloured 
beauties.  Quiet  people,  unless  they  have  studied  Phrenology, 
or  kept  Game  Fowls,  have  little  idea  how  close  a  connexion 
there  is  said  to  be  between  love  and  murder.  But  the  ladies 
have  long  found  it  out ;  there  is  no  sweetheart  like  a  soldier. 


THE     GAME     FOWL.  225 

A  constantly  pacific  male  is  despicable  in  their  eyes.  "  Eh  ! 
si  je  veux  qu'il  me  batte  I"  "  If  I  choose  my  husband  to  beat 
me,  what  business  is  that  of  yours  ?  A  pretty  state  of  things, 
when  a  woman  may  not  permit  her  own  husband  to  beat  her !" 
So  wrote  the  great  Moliere,  in  the  high-heeled,  periwigged 
reign  of  Louis  XIY.  But  civilized  and  uncivilized  nature  is 
alike.  The  southern  she-savage,  when  her  brute  lifts  his 
waddy  to  give  her  a  tap  on  the  head  that  would  fell  an  Eng- 
lish ox,  bows  thankfully  to  receive  the  caress  on  her  indurated 
noddle,  and  triumphs  that  the  compliment  was  not  bestowed 
upon  either  of  the  other  squaws.  Here  are  some  like  doings 
in  chivalrous  Spain  : — 

"  There  was  a  burly,  savage-looking  fellow,  of  about  forty, 
whose  conduct  was  atrocious ;  he  sat  with  his  wife,  or  perhaps 
concubine,  at  the  door  of  a  room  which  opened  upon  the  court : 
he  was  continually  venting  horrible  and  obscene  oaths,  both 
in  Spanish  and  Catalan.  The  woman  was  remarkably  hand 
some,  but  robust,  and  seemingly  as  savage  as  himself;  her 
conversation,  likewise,  was  as  frightful  as  his  own.  Both 
seemed  to  be  under  the  influence  of  an  incomprehensible  fury. 
At  last,  upon  some  observation  from  the  woman,  he  started 
up,  and  drawing  a  long  knife  from  his  girdle,  stabbed  at  her 
naked  bosom ;  she,  however,  interposed  the  palm  of  her  hand, 
which  was  much  cut.  He  stood  for  a  moment  viewing  the 
blood  trickling  upon  the  ground,  whilst  she  held  up  her 
wounded  hand,  then,  with  an  astounding  oath,  he  hurried  up 
the  court  to  the  Plaza.  I  went  up  to  the  woman  and  said, 
'What  is  the  cause  of  this?  I  hope  the  ruffian  has  not 
seriously  injured  you/  She  turned  her  countenance  upon  me 
with  the  glance  of  a  demon,  and,  at  last,  with  a  sneer  of  con- 
tempt, exclaimed,  (  Cardls,  que  es  eso  T  '  Cannot  a  Catalan 
gentleman  be  conversing  with  his  lady  upon  their  own  private 
affairs,  without  being  interrupted  by  you  ?'  She  then  bound 
up  her  hand  with  a  handkerchief,  and,  going  into  the  room, 


226  THE     GAME     FOWL. 

brought  a  small  table  to  the  door,  on  which  she  placed  several 
things,  as  if  for  the  evening  repast,  and  then  sat  down  on  a 
stool;  presently  returned  the  Catalan,  and,  without  a  word,  took 
his  seat  on  the  threshold ;  then,  as  if  nothing  had  occurred, 
the  extraordinary  couple  commenced  eating  and  drinking, 
interlarding  their  meal  with  oaths  and  jests/' — Borrow 's  Bible 
in  Spain,  vol.  ii.  p.  53.  The  lady  was  as  submissive,  as  affec- 
tionate, and  withal  as  petulant,  as  the  Game  Hen,  on  whom 
her  lord  bestows  three  or  four  sharp  pecks,  in  punishment  for 
ill-behaviour.  We  are  conscious  that  we  are  now  decidedly 
wandering;  but,  as  a  relief  from  the  description  of  quill- 
feathers  and  the  weight  of  Eggs,  must  really  give  an  addi- 
tional instance  of  the  compatibility  of  even  friendship  with 
slaughter. 

"  In  the  course  of  the  day,  our  men  went  down  to  a  small 
brook,  which  flowed  between  the  opposing  armies,  for  water; 
and  French  and  English  soldiers  might  be  seen  drinking  out 
of  the  same  narrow  stream,  and  even  leaning  over  to  shake 
hands  with  each  other.  One  private,  of  my  own  regiment, 
actually  exchanged  forage-caps  with  a  soldier  of  the  enemy, 
as  a  token  of  regard  and  good-will.  Such  courtesies,  if  they 
do  not  disguise,  at  least  soften  the  horrid  features  of  war ;  and 
it  is  thus  we  learn  to  reconcile  our  minds  to  scenes  of  blood 
and  carnage. " — Recollections  of  the  Peninsula,  p.  110. 

"  It  was  a  strange  thing  to  see,  in  the  crowded  wards  of  the 
hospital, 'English  and  French  soldiers  lying  helplessly  side  by 
side,  or  here  and  there  performing  little  kind  offices  for  each 
other,  with  a  willing  and  a  cheerful  air.  Their  wants  and 
thoughts,  I  observed,  they  communicated  to  each  other  in 
phrases  of  Spanish,  which  language  many  of  the  French  pri- 
vates spoke  fluently,  and  our  men  understood  well  enough  for 
all  common  purposes/' — Id.  p.  168. 

Game  Cocks  are  led  on  to  battle  by  blind  instinct,  and  have 
no  higher  directing  principle.  Shall  we  men  ever  retain  the 


THE     GAME     FOWL.  227 

virtue  of  friendship,  and  abolish  the  act  of  slaughter?  Or 
would  the  abolition  of  bloody  warfare  be  succeeded  by  some 
more  villainous  mode  of  gaining  pre-eminence  over  each  other? 

As  to  Cock-fighting,  I  must  believe  it  to  have  been  made 
the  theme  of  much  ignorant  cant.  Hawking  is  a  noble  and 
honourable  pastime ;  Cock-fighting  is  low  and  disgraceful.  I 
have  never  seen  a  Cock-fight,  and  probably  never  shall.  From 
what  one  has  heard  and  read,  it  must  be  most  exciting  sport ; 
but  people  who  are  proud  of  Waterloo,  who  dine  off  hunted 
hare,  and  breakfast  on  shrimps  that  have  been  boiled  alive, 
allude  to  it  with  horror,  as  an  atrocity  incredible  and  unmen- 
tionable. Cocks,  however,  must  die.  Would  a  Cock  that  had 
been  fought,  be  worse  eating  than  a  hare  that  had  been  hunted  ? 
And  as  to  the  mode  of  death, — ask  a  Cock  which  he  would 
choose, — to  be  hung  up  by  the  heels,  and  have  the  cook  run 
a  knife  up  his  throat,  taking  care  that  he  bleed  long,  and  die 
slowly,  in  order  that  his  flesh  may  be  so  much  the  nicer  and 
whiter, — or,  to  be  set  face  to  face  with  his  adversary,  and  fight 
for  his  life  ! — if  he  win,  to  be  petted  and  praised ;  if  he  fall, 
to  have  his  existence  cut  short  by  one  sharp,  merciful  thrust, 
instead  of  the  lingering  faintuess  of  a  culinary  departure  ? 
The  combat  is  a  pleasure ;  the  survivorship,  a  fair  chance. 

But  Cock-fights  were  shamefully  barbarous;  they  made 
people  so  hard-hearted  and  unfeeling,  and  gave  rise  to  so  much 
gambling :  and  as  we  have  now  no  smooth-faced  villains,  nor 
any  lying,  double-tongued,  intriguing  robbers  in  the  country ; 
as  we  never  now  get  rid  of  rivals,  or  people  that  stand  in  our 
way,  by  hunting  them  to  death  with  persecution  and  calumny ; 
secret  poisoning,  also,  and  infanticide,  being  unsuspected 
amongst  us ;  above  all,  as  gambling  and  swindling,  of  what- 
ever kind,  is  utterly  abolished,  particularly  in  London  and 
some  neighbouring  towns,  such  as  Epsom,  it  will  be  a  great 
pity  if  ever  another  Game  Fowl  is  hatched  in  England — the 
poultry  sent  to  market  being  so  much  more  humanely  put  to 


228  THE     GAME     FOWL. 

death :  although  one  does  see  a  few  thorough-bred  birds  now 
and  then,  and  hears  faint  rumours  of  an  occasional  amicable 
trial  of  strength.* 

There  is  a  very  graphic  account  of  a  main,  conducted  secun- 
dum  artem  in  by -gone  days,  to  be  found  in  Elaine's  <(  Rural 
Sports."  But  Cock-fighting  is  of  older  date  than  modern 
fashionable  refinement,  and  may  possibly  survive  it.  a  The 
Alexandrians,"  says  Statius,  quoted  by  the  Quarterly  Review, 
"  were  indifferent  soldiers,  but  the  best  of  singers,  and  only 
surpassed  by  their  compatriots,  the  Alexandrian  fighting  Cocks, 
as  an  appendage  to  Roman  supper-parties."  We  have  heard 
of  a  nobleman  of  the  old  school  having  a  few  couple  of  Cocks 
up  into  the  drawing-room,  as  an  agreeable  interruption  to  the 
tiresome  rubbers  of  whist.  But  before  noblemen  and  their 


*  I  am  informed  that,  in  certain  places  in  Warwickshire,  and  in 
the  adjoining  county  of  Staffordshire,  the  effects  of  Cock-fighting 
still  continue  to  be  impoverishing,  demoralizing,  and  degrading  to 
its  followers,  clothing  them  and  their  families  in  rags.  It  is  no  un- 
common thing,  among  the  working  people  of  that  district,  to  stake 
the  whole  of  their  week's  hard  earnings  upon  a  single  fight.  What 
must  be  the  Avretchedness  and  misery  brought  upon  the  families  thus 
deprived  of  their  only  means  of  subsistence  ?  Cock-fighting,  with 
these  results,  is  a  terrible  evil,  for  other  reasons  than  mere  senti- 
mental talk  about  its  cruelty.  People  can  go  and  see  a  poor  girl,  or 
a  reckless  man,  whom  they  believe  to  be  endowed  with  immortal 
souls,  daily  expose  themselves  to  be  destroyed  in  a  moment  by  lions 
and  tigers,  but  they  are  too  delicate  to  witness  the  shedding  of  a 
Cock's  blood.  It  is  the  gambling  which  is  the  great  immorality  ;  of 
course,  the  assembling  of  so  many  low  characters  must  be  dangerous 
to  the  well-being  of  society.  But  the  local  magistrates  surely  have 
power,  if  they  choose  to  exert  it,  of  legally  putting  down  such  gam- 
bling, and  preventing  such  assemblies ;  and  the  police  would  be 
better  employed  in  preventing  such  ruinous  infringements  of  the  law, 
than  in  many  of  the  cases  on  which  they  try  their  'prentice  hand,  in 
a  desperate  effort  to  obtain  their  maiden  conviction. 


THE     GAME     FOWL.  229 

drawing-rooms  were  invented  hereabouts,  these  little  turns-up 
were  unthinkingly  made  a  source  of  amusement.  Read  what 
an  observant  traveller,  and  really  estimable  man,  who  could 
not  himself  have  been  deficient  in  courage,  either  physical  or 
moral,  has  recorded : 

"The  most  ancient,  but  certainly  not  the  most  innocent 
game  among  the  Tahitians,  was  the  faatito-raamoa}  literally, 
the  causing  fighting  among  Fowls,  or  Cock-fighting.  The  Ta- 
hitians do  not  appear  to  have  staked  any  property,  or  laid  any 
bets,  on  their  favourite  birds,  but  to  have  trained  and  fought 
them  for  the  sake  of  the  gratification  they  derived  from  be- 
holding them  destroy  each  other.  lLong  before  the  first  foreign 
vessel  was  seen  off  their  shores,  they  were  accustomed  to  train 
and  fight  their  birds.  The  Fowls  designed  for  fighting  were 
fed  with  great  care ;  a  finely-carved  fatapua,  or  stand,  was 
made  as  a  perch  for  the  birds.  This  was  planted  in  the  house, 
and  the  bird  fastened  to  it  by  a  piece  of  curious  cinct,  braided 
flat,  that  it  might  not  injure  the  leg.  No  other  substance  would 
have  been  secure  against  the  attacks  of  his  beak.  Their  food 
was  chiefly  poe,  or  bruised  bread-fruit,  rolled  up  in  the  hand, 
like  paste,  and  given  in  small  pieces.  The  Fowl  was  taught 
to  open  his  mouth  to  receive  his  food  and  his  water,  which  was 
poured  from  his  master's  hand.  It  was  customary  to  sprinkle 
water  over  these  birds  to  refresh  them.  The  natives  were 
universally  addicted  to  this  sport.  The  inhabitants  of  one 
district  often  matched  their  birds  against  those  of  another  divi- 
sion. They  do  not  appear  to  have  entertained  any  predi- 
lection for  particular  colour  in  the  Fowls,  but  seem  to  have 
esteemed  all  alike.  They  never  trimmed  any  of  the  feathers, 
but  were  proud  to  see  them  with  heavy  wings,  full-feathered 
necks,  and  long  tails.  They  also  accustomed  them  to  fight 
without  artificial  spurs,  or  other  means  of  injury.  In  order 
that  the  birds  might  be  as  fresh  as  possible,  they  fought  them 
early  in  the  morning,  soon  after  day-break,  while  the  air  was 

20 


280  THE    GAME     FOWL. 

cool,  and  before  they  became  languid  from  the  heat.  More 
than  two  were  seldom  engaged  at  once,  and  so  soon  as  one  bird 
avoided  the  other,  he  was  considered  as  vi,  or  beaten.  Victory 
was  declared  in  favour  of  his  opponent,  and  they  were  imme- 
diately parted.  This  amusement  was  sometimes  continued  for 
several  days  successively." — Ellis' s  Polynesian  Researches, 
vol.  i.  p.  302. 

It  would  appear  from  Mr.  Ellis,  that  there  are  innate  ideas 
in  the  human  understanding,  one  of  which  is  Cock-fighting. 
The  Tahitians  manifest  their  simplicity  in  fighting  for  love,  not 
for  money.-  Other  barbarians  show  themselves  to  be  more 
sophisticated. 

"  Throughout  every  rank  of  the  people  of  Sumatra  there 
prevails  a  strong  spirit  of  gaming.  Cock-fighting  they  are  still 
more  passionately  addicted  to,  and  it  is  indulged  to  them  under 
certain  regulations.  Where  they  are  perfectly  independent, 
their  propensity  to  it  is  so  great,  than  it  resembles  rather  a  se- 
rious occupation  than  a  sport.  You  seldom  meet  a  man  tra- 
velling in  the  country,  without  a  Cock  under  his  arm,  and  some- 
times fifty  in  a  company,  when  there  is  a  limbang  in  one  of 
the  neighbouring  villages.  A  countryman  coming  down,  on 
any  occasion,  to  the  qualloe,  or  mouth  of  the  river,  if  he  boast 
the  least  degree  of  spirit,  must  not  be  unprovided  with  this 
token  of  it.  They  often  game  high  at  their  meetings ;  par- 
ticularly when  a  superstitious  faith  in  the  invincibility  of  their 
bird  has  been  strengthened  by  past  success.  An  hundred 
Spanish  dollars  is  "no  very  uncommon  risk,  and  instances  have 
occurred  of  a  father  staking  his  children  or  wife,  and  a  son  his 
mother  or  sisters,  on  the  issue  of  a  battle  when  a  run  of  ill-luck 
has  stripped  them  of  property,  and  rendered  them  desperate. 
Quarrels,  attended  with  dreadful  consequences,  have  often  arisen 
on  these  occasions. 

"  By  their  customs,  there  are  four  umpires  appointed  to  de- 
termine on  all  disputed  points  in  the  course  of  the  tattles,  and 


THE     GAME    FOWL.  231 

from  their  decision  there  lies  no  appeal,  except  the  Gothic  ap- 
peal to  the  sword.  A  person  losing,  and  who  has  not  the  ability 
to  pay,  is  immediately  proscribed,  departs  with  disgrace,  and  is 
never  again  suffered  to  appear  at  the  galangang.  This  cannot 
with  propriety  be  translated,  a  Cock-pit,  as  it  is  generally  a 
spot  on  the  level  ground,  or  a  stage  erected  and  covered  in.  It 
is  inclosed  with  railing  which  keeps  off  the  spectators ;  none 
but  the  handlers  and  heelers  being  admitted  withinside.  A 
man  who  has  a  high  opinion  of  and  regard  for  his  Cock,  will 
not  fight  him  under  a  certain  number  of  dollars,  which  he 
places  in  order  on  the  floor;  his  poor  adversary  is  perhaps 
unable  to  deposit  above  one-half :  the  standers-by  make  up  the 
sum,  and  receive  their  dividends  in  proportion,  if  successful. 
A  father,  at  his  death-bed,  has  been  known  to  desire  his  son 
to  take  the  first  opportunity  of  matching  a  certain  Cock,  for  a 
sum  equal  to  his  whole  property,  under  a  blind  conviction  that 
he  was  betooali,  or  invulnerable. 

"  Cocks  of  the  same  colour  are  never  matched,  but  a  grey 
against  a  pile,  a  yellow  against  a  red,  or  the  like.  This  might 
have  been  originally  designed  to  prevent  disputes,  or  knavish 
impositions.  The  Malay  breed  of  Cocks  is  much  esteemed  by 
connoisseurs  who  have  had  an  opportunity  of  trying  them. 
Great  pains  is  taken  in  the  rearing  and  feeding ;  they  are  fre- 
quently handled,  and  accustomed  to  spar  in  public,  in  order  to 
prevent  any  shyness.  Contrary  to  our  laws,  the  owner  is 
allowed  to  take  up  and  handle  his  Cock  during  the  battle ;  to 
clear  his  eye  of  a  feather,  or  his  mouth  of  blood.  When  a  Cock 
is  killed,  or  runs,  the  other  must  have  sufficient  spirit  and 
vigour  left  to  peck  at  him  three  times,  on  his  being  held  to 
him  for  that  purpose,  or  it  becomes  a  drawn  battle  ;  and  some- 
times an  experienced  cocker  will  place  the  head  of  his  van- 
quished bird  in  such  an  uncouth  posture,  as  to  terrify  the  othei, 
and  render  him  unable  to  give  this  proof  of  victory.  The 
Cocks  are  never  trimmed,  but  matched  in  full  feather.  The 


232  THE    GAME    FOWL. 

artificial  spur  used  in  Sumatra,  resembles  in  shape  the  blade 
of  a  scimetar,  and  proves  a  more  destructive  weapon  than  the 
European  spur.  It  has  no  socket,  but  is  tied  to  the  leg,  and 
in  the  position  of  it  the  nicety  of  the  match  is  legulated.  As, 
in  horse-racing,  weight  is  proportioned  to  inches,  so,  in  cocking, 
a  bird  of  superior  size  and  weight  is  brought  to  an  equality 
with  his  adversary,  by  fixing  the  steel  spur  so  many  scales  of 
the  leg  above  the  natural  spur,  and  thus  obliging  him  to  fight 
with  a  degree  of  disadvantage.  It  rarely  happens  that  both 
Cocks  survive  the  combat. 

"  In  the  northern  parts  of  the  island,  where  gold-dust  is  the 
common  medium  of  gambling,  as  well  as  of  trade,  so  much  is 
accidently  dropped  in  weighing  and  delivering,  that  at  some 
Cock-pits,  where  the  resort  of  people  is  great,  the  sweepings 
are  said,  probably  with  exaggeration,  to  be  worth  upwards  of  a 
thousand  dollars  per  annum  to  the  owner  of  the  ground  j  be- 
sides his  profit  of  twofanams  (fivepence)  for  each  battle. 

"  In  some  places  they  match  quails,  in  the  manner  of  Cocks. 
These  fight  with  great  inveteracy,  and  endeavour  to  seize  each 
other  by  the  tongue.  The  Achenese  bring  also  into  combat 
the  dial-bird  (moori)  which  resembles  a  small  magpie,  but  has 
an  agreeable,  though  imperfect  note.  They  sometimes  engage 
one  another  on  the  wing,  and  drop  to  the  ground  in  the  struggle." 
— Marshal's  History  of  Sumatra,  pp.  236-8.  London,  1783. 

This  extraordinary  account  is  not  without  the  confirmation 
which  it  needs  : — 

"  The  Indians,  (of  Manilla,)  in  common  with  all  Malays,  are 
passionately  fond  of  Cock-fighting,  but  they  are  not  permitted 
to  indulge  at  pleasure  this  inclination.  An  Indian  rarely 
walks  out  without  a  Cock,  and  as  soon  as  he  meets  another  In- 
dian with  one  under  his  arm,  the  two  birds  are  set  down,  and 
immediately  engage  :  but  battles  with  steel  spurs  are  only 
permitted  in  a  place  formed  for  the  purpose,  which  is  farmed 
from  the  king,  at  a  rent  of  twenty  or  twenty-five  thousand 


THE     GAME    FOWL.  233 

dollars  :  here  the  Indians  assemble,  and  frequently  bet  on  their 
favourite  Cocks  the  whole  of  what  they  are  worth.  The  fate 
of  the  gamesters  is  soon  decided,  for  the  Cocks  being  armed 
with  sharp  spurs,  one  or  the  other  is  killed  almost  in  an  in- 
stant."— De  Guigne's  Observations  on  the  Philippine  Islands. 

But  abstinence  from  Cock-fighting  sometimes  meets  with  its 
reward : 

"  The  fort  (at  Achin)  was  but  sorrily  governed  when  I  was 
there ;  nor  was  there  that  care  taken  to  keep  a  fair  corre- 
spondence with  the  natives  in  the  neighbourhood  as  I  think 
ought  to  be,  in  all  trading  places  especially.  When  I  came 
thither  there  were  two  neighbouring  Rajas  in  the  stocks,  for 
no  other  reason  but  because  they  had  not  brought  down  to  the 
fort  such  a  quantity  of  pepper  as  the  governor  had  sent  for. 
Yet  these  Rajas  rule  in  the  country,  and  have  a  considerable 
number  of  subjects,  who  were  so  exasperated  at  these  inso- 
lences, that,  as  I  have  since  been  informed,  they  came  down 
and  assaulted  the  fort,  under  the  conduct  of  one  of  these  Rajas. 
But  the  fort,  as  bad  as  it  is,  is  guarded  enough  against  such 
indifferent  soldiers  as  they  are  :  who,  though  they  have  courage 
enough,  yet  scarce  any  arms  besides  back-swords,  cressets,  and 
lances,  nor  skill  to  use  artillery,  if  they  had  it.  At  another 
time  they  made  an  attempt  to  surprise  the  fort,  under  pretence 
of  a  Cock-match ;  to  which  they  hoped  the  garrison  would  come 
out,  to  share  in  the  sport,  and  so  the  fort  left  with  small  de- 
fence. For  the  Malayans  here  are  great  lovers  of  Cock-fight- 
ing, and  there  were  about  one  thousand  of  them  got  together 
about  this  match,  while  their  armed  men  lay  in  ambush.  But 
it  so  happened  that  none  of  the  garrison  went  out  to  the  Cock- 
match,  but  one  John  Neclin,  a  Dane,  who  was  a  great  gamester 
himself;  and  he,  discovering  the  ambush,  gave  notice  of  it  to 
the  governor,  who  was  in  disorder  enough  upon  their  approach ; 
but  a  few  of  the  great  guns  drove  them  away." — -Mr.  Dampier's 
Voyages,  vol.  ii.  (Supplement.)  London,  MDCO.  p.  184. 

20* 


234:  THE     GAME     FOWL. 

Not  wishing,  therefore,  to  stimulate  our  youth  to  Cock- 
fighting,  any  more  than  we  would  lead  them  to  over-sensitive 
refinement  or  spurious  humanity,  we  will  give  no  further  di- 
rections about  the  rearing  of  Game-chicks  (although  it  would 
be  very  easy  to  do  so)  than  to  state  that,  instead  of  allotting 
twenty-four  Hens  to  one  Cock,  in  a  "  ward,"  too,  as  has  been 
currently  published  and  believed  to  be  a  good  plan,  one  Cock, 
with  two,  or  at  most  three  Hens,  should  be  quietly  located  at 
large,  in  some  spot  where  they  are  secure  from  giving  or  re- 
ceiving interruption.  The -Cockerels  three-quarters  ^rown  (an 
example  to  our  lads)  are  not  permitted  to  run  as  they  choose 
with  any  society  that  may  offer,  but  are  withdrawn  to  quiet, 
rural,  airy,  grassy  walks,  where  they  are  encouraged  to  scratch 
the  ground  as  much  as  they  like,  to  increase  their  means  of 
livelihood,  and  are  removed  from  the  temptation  (the  possibility, 
indeed,)  of  having  any  but  the  most  discreet  female  society. 
Cocks  so  educated  are  valuable  for  better  purposes  than  for 
fighting  and  being  betted  upon.  They  become  first-rate  fathers 
of  families.  If  a  stock  of  Poultry  is  flagging  and  degenerate, 
the  owner  hardly  knows  why,  the  admission  of  a  good  Grame 
Cock  will  soon  set  all  to  rights.  His  very  look  and  air  inspire 
health  and  cheerfulness  into  the  dispirited  Hens.  He  fertilizes 
the  Eggs  of  every  variety  of  Domestic  Fowl,  from  the  little 
Black  Bantam  to  the  portly  Dorking.  The  issue  of  such 
crosses  does  not  always  resemble  either  parent,  but  it  is  sure 
to  be  something  pretty,  useful,  and  thrifty.  "  Bad  the  crow, 
bad  the  egg,"  xaxov  xopaxog  xaxbv  wor.  Vice  versa,  good  the 
Cock,  good  the  Chick ;  there  is  certainly  something  in  breeding. 

The  males  of  almost  every  variety  are  lovely  creatures, 
though  tastes  differ  as  to  the  preference.  They  do  not  attain 
their  perfect  plumage  till  their  third  year,  and  perhaps  increase 
in  beauty  for  a  year  or  two  afterwards.  I  think  I  have  heard 
that,  according  to  the  modern  rules  of  the  Pit,  birds  are  not 
admissible  after  they  have  attained  a  certain  age  and  weight. 


THE    GAME    FOWL.  235 

But  all  this  is  nothing  to  us.  We  are  looking  after  ornamental, 
and,  incidentally,  useful  qualities.  The  red  birds,  so  called, 
are  mostly  splendid  and  dashing  in  their  appearance ;  the  yel- 
low-legged tribe  are  very  gaudy,  bright,  and  strongly  con- 
trasted, though  apt  to  be  a  little  under-sized;  the  duck-winged 
grays,  so  called  from  their  iridescent  wing-coverts,  which  re- 
mind one  of  the  speculum  in  a  Duck's  wing,  are  most  harmo- 
niously coloured,  softly,  yet  brilliantly  tinted,  and  only  not 
sufficiently  rare  to  be  admired  with  enthusiasm. 

As  before  observed,  it  is  not  our  present  task  to  enter  into 
the  minute  and  technical  distinctions  of  Game  Fowls.  An  in- 
dustrious examination  of  them,  with  good  opportunities,  might 
lead  to  very  interesting  conclusions.  Meanwhile,  we  will 
print  one  valuable  and  original  record,  as  a  commencement. 

"  There  are  evidently  two  varieties  of  the  Game  Fowl,  if 
not  more.  (Assuredly.)  The  first,  occasionally  seen  in  the 
yard  of  the  farmer,  is  a  bird  over  the  average  size,  and  rather 
heavily  formed;  rather  too  much  comb;  breast  quite  black; 
neck,  back,  and  wings  of  a  very  deep  red ;  tail,  glossy  green. 
The  Hen  plain  brown,  with  a  lighter-coloured  neck,  sometimes 
a  little  streaked  with  ochre ;  legs  light-coloured  or  white. 

"  The  other  variety,  which  I  much  prefer,  and  now  possess, 
is  a  smaller  Fowl,  of  a  peculiarly  light  and  elegant  make ;  head 
very  small  and  fine;  neck,  light  orange-red;  breast  richly 
spotted,  as  are,  also,  in  a  degree,  the  wings ;  back,  very  rich 
red  ;  tail,  glossy  greenish  black ;  legs,  dark.  Hens,  brown  of 
various  shades,  the  feathers  being  streaked  with  pale  ochre 
down  the  middle,  the  same  as  Pheasants ;  comb,  in  the  Cocks 
very  small,  and  not  large  in  the  Hens. 

"  These  are  most  high-spirited  birds,  and  will  soon  gain  the 
ascendancy  of  any  yard.  The  eggs  are  slightly  tinged  with 
yellow-buff,  rather  small,  and  long  in  shape.  Hens,  good  layers 
and  sitters.  Chicks,  when  first  hatched,  exceedingly  pretty, 
beifcg  marked  with  a  deep  brown  streak  on  the  head  and  neck, 


236  THE     GAME     FOWL. 

that  continues  down  the  back.  They  are  hardy  little  things, 
and  easy  to  rear.  How  many  degrees  removed  from  the 
Pheasant  this  breed  may  be,  is  difficult  to  say,  (they  are  as 
widely  removed  as  the  North  from  the  South  Pole,  or  Dogs 
from  Cats,  as  far  as  relationship  is  concerned,)  but  there  is 
evidently  a  strong  family  likeness.  (True,  if  we  regard  natu- 
ral affinity  merely.)  The  Pheasants  here  have  no  objection, 
at  any  time,  to  an  occasional  admixture  (socially,  we  believe, 
not  amatively)  with  the  Domestic  Poultry,  I  imagine  :  and  the 
parties  will  often  meet  in  our  shrubberies,  to  partake  of  the 
berries  of  the  Symphonia  racemosa,  or  snowberry,  of  which 
they  are  both  excessively  fond,  and  will  often  jump  up  to  some 
height  to  procure  them.  This  breed  of  the  Game  Fowl  we 
have  found  excellent  and  high-flavoured. 

"  Some  years  since,  I  had  a  Game  Hen  sitting  in  a  cow-crib, 
with  the  usual  quantity  of  Eggs.  Long  before  any  Chicks 
could  be  making  their  appearance,  I  several  times  noticed  some 
living  thing  run  from  under  the  Hen  on  taking  her  up.  This 
I  afterwards  discovered  to  be  a  fine  mouse,  that  repaired  there 
for  warmth  every  day ;  and  it  was  a  curious  sight,  on  the  day 
the  Chicks  came  out,  to  see  it  nestling  among  them,  the  Hen 
looking  on  most  complacently.  She  was,  however,  very  savage 
to  human  kind,  and  would  peck  your  hand  severely,  if  put  into 
the  nest. 

"But  Poultry,  in  general,  enjoy  mouse-catching,  and  will 
often,  when  a  rick  is  taking  in,  watch  for  and  sieze  them  with 
uncommon  certainty,  and  then  peck  them  to  pieces  and  eat 
them."— H.  H. 

In  confirmation  of  which,  here  is  another  case  : — "I  think'I 
told  you  my  Dorking  and  Spanish  Hens  are  famous  mousers. 
When  a  stack  is  got  in,  they  prowl  about,  and  wo  to  any  un- 
fortunate mouse  that  escapes  the  men's  hands:  while  making 
off,  they  pounce  upon  it  and  eat  it  up.  A  few  days  since, 
a  boy  in  my  yard  saw  a  weasel  very  busy  in  a  pea-stack,  driving 


THE     GAME    FOWL.  237 

the  mice  about — the  latter,  of  course,  in  great  consterna- 
tion. After  a  little  while,  two  mice  bolted,  jumped  off  the 
stack  to  escape  their  implacable  enemy,  but  fell  into  as  bad 
hands ;  for  they  were  both  seized  by  Hens,  pecked  to  death, 
and  eaten  up  in  no  time.  It  was  strange  that  a  weasel  should 
act  as  a  jackall  to  fowls.  Yesterday,  I  threw  a  large  field- 
mouse  to  a  Hen,  and  watched  her  peck  it,  and  then  eat  it  up." 
—  W.  D.  F. 

"  A  red  and  white  Game  Cock  of  any  breed,  is  called  a 
Pile;  thus  I  have  heard  a  Malay  Cock  that  was  white,  with  a 
red  back,  called  a  Pile,  but  I  am  not  quite  sure  that  the  ex- 
pression is  applied  to  birds  that  are  not  Game.  So  the  Staf- 
fordshire Pile  must  be  red  and  white." — J.  S.  W. 

The  Furness  Game  Fowl. — "When,  or  from  what  place, 
this  truly  beautiful  specimen  of  the  Game  tribe  was  introduced, 
is  quite  a  mystery,  even  with  the  fanciers  and  breeders  of  it. 
The  Cock  is  a  bird  of  singular  and  handsome  appearance. 
The  neck,  body,  and  tail  are  of  a  beautiful  shining  black,  very 
rich  and  lustrous,  with  a  saddle  of  light  buff.  The  Hen  is  per- 
fectly black,  with  occasionally  a  slight  touch  of  gold  in  the 
hackle.  In  some  specimens,  both  Cock  and  Hen  had  a  golden 
hackle,  but  I  should  say  that  such  had  been  crossed  with  some 
other  variety." — F.  S.  B.  u  Besides  this,  there  is  the  black- 
breasted  copper-winged  Furness,  which  is  entirely  black  all 
over,  except  the  wings,  the  feathers  of  which  are  copper-co- 
loured. Then,  very  nearly  allied  to  these  in  colour,  is  the 
Pole-cat  Game  Fowl,  differing  from  the  Furness  only  in  hav- 
ing more  of  light  or  straw-coloured  feathers  upon  him,  his 
wings  being  of  that  colour,  in  addition  to  the  markings  of  the 
Furness ;  his  breast  and  the  rest  of  his  body  being  generally 
black,  but  sometimes  his  breast  is  shady  or  streaked. 

"The  Piles  are  universally  known  as  Cheshire  Piles,  Staf- 
fordshire Piles,  and  streaky-breasted  Red  Piles.  Cheshire 
Piles  have  always  a  thoroughly  red  back,  with  all  the  rest  of 


238  THE    GAME     FOWL. 

the  feathers  white,  excepting  occasionally  that  the  breast  ia 
streaked  with  red  also.  Staffordshire  Piles  are  similar  in  mark- 
ings to  the  Cheshire,  but  of  a  yellower  cast,  (or  what  is  called 
by  breeders  i  carroty/)  approaching  to  an  orange-yellow;  the 
breast  is  also  sometimes  streaked  with  the  same  colour  as  the 
back.  White  is  the  predominating  colour  both  in  the  Staf- 
fordshire and  the  Cheshire  Piles.  Streaky-breasted  Red  Piles 
are  in  all  respects  like  the  brown-breasted  Red  Game  Fowls, 
with  this  addition,  that  the  wings  are  partly  white,  and  the 
tail  also  partly  white. 

"  White  Game  Fowl  are  well  known  in  the  Midland  Coun- 
ties, and,  in  the  opinion  of  some,  are  the  most  chaste  and  beau- 
tiful variety  of  all,  and  are  highly  prized  by  those  who  keep 
them.  They  differ  in  nothing  from  the  class  of  Fowls  to  which 
they  belong,  except  in  colour,  which  Is  uniformly  white.  But 
for  years  past  the  breeders  have  been  so  much  in  the  habit  of 
crossing  the  different  coloured  birds,  which  no  doubt  improves 
them  for  fighting  purposes,  that  it  has  caused  great  confusion 
in  the  feather,  and  rendered  it  extremely  difficult  to  breed  dis- 
tinctly-marked birds  with  certainty." — J.  B. 

The  famous  breed  of  Game  Fowls  belonging  to  the  Earl  of 
Derby  are  black-breasted  Reds,  and  do  not  differ  from  other 
birds  of  the  kind,  except  in  being  a  select  family,  with  occasional 
judicious  crosses,  as  with  those  of  Lord  Sefton,  Mr.  Germain,  Mr. 
Potter,  Mr.  Folkes,  and  Dr.  Taylor.  Mr.  Richardson  has  puzzled 
his  readers  by  stating,  "  that  the  breed  has  never  yet  been 
known  to  turn  tail,  notwithstanding  the  pertinacious  adherence  of 
a  white  feather  to  the  "pile — a  blemish  that  no  breeding  has  been 
able  to  eradicate,  but  which,  notwithstanding  the  well-known 
proverbial  prejudice  to  the  contrary,  has,  in  this  instance,  been 
the  never-failing  concomitant  of  courage."  Now  a  Pile  is  a 
peculiar  kind  of  Game  Fowl,  not  any  part  of  one  to  which  a 
white  feather  can  adhere.  Poor  Richardson,  being  induced  to 
write  little  books  faster  than  he  could  clearly  grasp  their  sub- 


THE     GAME     F  OW  L.  239 

jeets,  perhaps  did  not  understand  his  own  expression;  Ibut 
through  the  kindness  of  the  Earl  of  Derby,  I  am  enabled  to 
give  an  account  of  the  breed,  furnished  by  the  person  who  has 
charge  of  the  birds  :  it  is  still  retained  in  its  original  purity, 
for  the  sake  of  its  ornithology,  not  its  gladiatorial  value. 

Mr.  Thomas  Roscoe  states,  "  I  have  known  the  best  of 
Game  Cocks  to  turn  off  when  out  of  condition,  but  not  on  any 
other  occasion.  The  original  blood  has  been  in  the  hands  of 
John  Roscoe  and  family,  as  breeders  to  his  lordship,  for  sixty 
years,  and  I  should  suppose  it  came  to  Knowsley  in  Lord 
Strange' s  days,  the  grandfather  of  the  present  Earl. 

"  The  Cock  is  a  fine  round-shaped  bird,  with  white  striped 
bill;  daw  eyes  and  fiery;  round  and  strong  neck;  fine,  round, 
close-feathered  hackle,  feather  points  to  shoulders;  short,  stiff, 
broad  back,  close-feathered  and  hard ;  tail  long  and  sickled, 
well  tufted  at  root ;  wings  round  and  well  prolonged,  so  as  to 
protect  the  thighs ;  breast  broad  and  black ;  belly  small  and 
tight  in  the  pinions ;  thighs  short  and  thick,  well  set  to  the 
body;  legs  long  and  white;  smooth  insteps;  claws  strong; 
nails  long  and  white ;  the  comb  of  a  Stag  is  rather  large  and 
red,  before  being  cut ;  weight  about  5  Ibs. 

11  The  Hen  is  of  a  fine  round  shape,  in  colour  resembling  a 
partridge,  with  daw  eyes,  white  legs,  toes,  and  nails,  and  large 
and  fanned  tail.  The  Chicks  when  first  hatched  incline  to 
yellow,  with  a  darkish  stripe  down  their  back,  changing  colour 
as  they  advance  in  age.  The  Eggs  vary  in  colour ;  I  should 
prefer  those  inclined  to  buff;  they  are  generally  well-propor- 
tioned, inclining  to  length.  The  Hens  are  capital  sitters  and 
nurses. 

"  We  generally  cut  the  combs  of  the  young  Cocks  when 
between  six  and  nine  months  old ;  the  spurs  are  left  on  to 
defend  them  on  their  walk,  and  are  only  cut  off  when  they  are 
penned  up  previous  to  fighting,  in  which  state  they  spend 
about  eleven  days,  and  are  trained  by  making  them  spar  in 


240  THE,     GAME     FOWL. 

warm  rooms,  with  boxing-gloves,  made  to  fit  the  heel,  and  pre- 
vent them  from  hurting  each  other.  The  feeding  part,  on 
which  so  much  depends,  is  a  great  secret."  [Every  feeder  has 
his  own  secret,  and  no  two  secrets  are  probably  the  same.] 

"  I  have  known  them  frequently  attack  men,  dogs,  calves, 
pigs,  turkeys,  and  geese;  and  a  single  bird  has  killed  seven 
of  its  opponents  in  one  day,  when  fighting  in  our  trial  mains 
at  Knowsley." 

Neither  John  Roscoe,  nor  his  son  Thomas  Roscoe,  ever  had 
anything  to  do  with  the  feeding  of  the  late  Lord  Derby's  game 
birds,  or  the  training  them  for  the  Pit  on  their  own  account, 
but  there  were  always  regular  persons,  called  "  feeders "  or 
"  trainers,"  who  made  it  their  business,  and  were  employed  by 
different  gentlemen  who  had  mains,  and  under  whose  special  care 
and  direction  the  birds  were  always  placed  for  a  certain  time 
previous  to  their  being  brought  out  to  fight.  Roscoe,  and  his 
son,  now  living,  having  for  many  years  seen  the  course  and  the 
methods  pursued  by  these  trainers,  and  under  whose  orders 
they  had  to  act,  have  no  doubt  picked  up  and  remember  some 
of  the  secrets  of  the  trade  which  used  to  exist  among  them, 
and  to  be  kept  with  very  great  jealousy;  but  they  were  never 
employed  themselves  as  feeders,  except  as  any  other  servant 
might  have  been  who  was  supposed  to  have  some  little  know- 
ledge on  the  occasion  of  the  trial  mains,  which  always  occur- 
red previous  to  the  regular  public  mains  of  the  match,  in  order 
to  test  the  goodness  of  the  different  crosses  from  which  the 
selection  of  the  combatants  was  to  be  made.  A  system  was 
universally  adopted  by  all  Cockers  of  distinguishing  the  seve- 
ral breeds,  by  special  artificial  marks  attached  to  each  cross, 
so  that  a  Cock  marked  so  and  so,  was  put  down  with  a  certain 
number  of  Hens  marked,  say  "  light  eyes,"  to  breed  at  a  par- 
ticular spot  or  farm,  the  produce  of  which  would  be  marked 
by  the  mixture  of  the  parents'  marks.  The  Eggs  from  these 
were  all  gathered  up  regularly,  and  set,  and  the  Chickens  put 


THE     GAME     FOWL.  241 

out  to  be  brought  up  at  different  farm-houses  or  cottages,  and 
regularly  looked  after  by  old  Roscoe,  as  Cocker,  who  kept  a 
regular  book,  in  which  they  were  entered  as  correctly  as  any 
tradesman  or  mercantile  firm  would  keep  their  accounts  :  so 
that  at  any  moment  Roscoe  could  tell  Lord  Derby  how  many 
Cocks  he  had  of  any  particular  sort,  of  what  age,  and  where 
they  each  were,  in  case  any  should  be  wanted,  or  for  the  pur- 
pose of  selecting  the  combatants  for  each  main.  It  was  neces- 
sary to  ascertain  that  no  other  Cock  was  kept  by  the  farmer, 
nor  one  too  near  a  brood  walk,  nor  any  Turkeys,  nor  other 
nuisances  that  might  injure  the  Cocks  by  setting  them  fight- 
ing ]  neither  were  the  people  allowed  to  hoffle  the  Hens,  so  as 
to  prevent  their  scratching.  These,  and  various  other  such 
matters,  as  the  Dubbing,  as  the  comb-cutting  the  young  Cocks 
was  called,  the  marking  of  the  Chickens,  &c.,  were  the  office 
of  Roscoe,  for  whom  a  horse  was  always  kept,  that  he  might 
be  able  to  go  round  to  the  distant  farms,  &c.,  and  see  that  all 
was  right,  or  else  remove  the  birds  elsewhere.  The  Chickens, 
as  soon  as  hatched,  were  marked  and  then  put  out  to  nurse 
among  the  cottagers  of  the  neighbourhood,  who  were  allowed 
to  keep  as  many  Hens  of  any  kind  as  they  liked,  and  often 
obtained  thus  a  sort  of  cross  breed,  which  obtained  some 
sort  of  notoriety.  They  were  also  paid  a  certain  sum  for  each 
Chicken  taken  away.  When  Lord  Derby  was  about  to  fight 
a  main,  he  used  to  look  over  his  Cock  Book  and  select  a  cer- 
tain number  of  each  of  the  sorts  he  might  choose  for  that  par- 
ticular main ;  orders  were  then  given  to  Roscoe  to  bring  up 
such  Cocks  from  such  and  such  a  walk  in  his  book,  and  those 
selected  as  fit  were  placed  under  his  care  in  a  particular  build- 
ing at  Knowsley,  till  the  Trainer  or  Feeder  could  come  and 
gee  to  them,  which  was  always  at  a  particular  period  before  the 
public  main.  These  birds  were  then  put  up  by  the  Feeder  as 
he  would  have  done  for  the  main  itself,  and  Lord  Derby,  with 
%  few  friends  in  his  confidence,  assembled  to  witness  the  trial, 

21 


242  THE     GAME    FOWL. 

for  which  his  Lordship  almost  always  had  down  his  own  regu- 
lar Setter,  and  report  was  regularly  made  as  to  the  conduct  of 
each  bird  in  these  preliminary  combats.  The  birds  selected 
for  these,  were  of  course  not  the  very  best,  but  generally 
chosen  because  of  some  slight  defect  or  accident  which  would 
have  been  undesirable  to  have  produced  in  the  public  Pit,  but 
which  did  not  interfere  with  the  powers  or  prowess  of  the  bird, 
and  would  thus  aiford  a  clue  to  judge  of  the  qualities  of  his 
brethren.  Some  sorts  were  thus  of  course  at  once  condemned, 
and  others  removed  for  further  trial,  and  some  selected  for 
keeping  as  stock  for  breeding  and  fighting.  According  to  these 
reports,  a  sufficient  number  of  each  approved  sort  were  set 
aside  from  the  stud-book  for  the  regular  main,  and  collected 
shortly  before  it,  to  be  handed  over  to  the  regular  Feeder,  of 
whom  Lord  Derby  employed  several.  The  last,  who  fed  for  his 
lordship  many  years,  was  one  Potter,  who  has  now  been  dead 
some  time,  and  his  son  has  sometimes  followed  the  same  line. 
There  used  to  be  very  great  jealousy  observed  among  the 
Feeders,  so  much  so,  that  young  Potter  and  Iloscoe  always 
slept  in  the  Pen-room  previous  to,  and  during  a  main,  and  the 
key  was  never  out  of  their  possession,  or  the  Feeder's ;  nor 
sometimes  could  even  Lord  Derby's  son  have  obtained  ad- 
mission, unless  with  one  of  them,  or  as  a  very  great  and  spe- 
cial favour.  After  Lord  Derby  gave  up  his  mains,  Eoscoe, 
and,  since  his  death,  his  son,  has  been  employed  in  the  care 
of  the  decreased  number  of  G  ame  Fowls  about  Knowsley,  for 
the  supply  of  the  House  with  poultry  and  eggs,  and  with 
liens  for  incubation ;  but  a  good  many  more  were  given  to 
Iloscoe  to  do  as  he  pleased  with ;  so  that  whenever  the  present 
Earl  wanted  to  send  some  to  foreign  countries,  he  could  not 
tell  where  to  apply,  and  was  obliged  to  have  recourse  to  the 
present  Iloscoe  to  find  out  the  small  remaining  stock.  The 
correctness  of  the  breed  now  in  his  lordship's  possession,  there- 
fore, depends  entirely  upon  him.  The  terms  used  by  Cockers 


THE     GAME    FOWL.  243 

for  cutting  the  combs  of  Cock  Chickens,  is  "dubbing;"  and 
birds  of  the  first  year  are  called  Stags.  The  late  Lord  Derby 
was  so  biased  by  his  cocking  tastes, \a  to  consider  the  Fowl 
in  its  natural  state  not  fit  to  be  looked  at  in  comparison  to  one 
that  was  properly  dubbed,  cut,  and  trimmed  for  fighting :  nor 
need  this  surprise  us,  if  we  remember  how  much  depends  upon 
habit  and  fashion.  Crop-eared  dogs,  nicked  horses,  perriwig- 
ged  beaux,  powdered  and  hooped  belles,  have  all  been  admired 
as  the  beau  ideal  of  their  class;  and  even  in  1850,  we  should 
rather  like  to  see  the  face  of  a  sheep-master  on  his  sudden  and 
unexpected  introduction  to  a  flock  of  long-tailed,  undocked 
Leicesters. 

That  in  some  parts  of  the  world  Cock-fights  are  an  attraction 
even  to  ladies  of  high  degree,  appears  from  a  clever  letter, 
dated  June  15,  1840. 

"  The  high-road  leading  from  Mexico  to  San'  Augustin  is 
covered  with  vehicles  of  every  description.  Those  who  are 
not  fortunate  enough  to  possess  any  wheeled  conveyance,  come 
out  on  horse,  ass,  or  mule,  single,  double,  or  treble  if  neces- 
sary ;  and  many  hundred  trudge  out  on  foot.  The  President 
of  the  Republic  himself,  in  his  carriage  and  six,  and  attended 
by  his  aides-de-camp,  sanctions  by  his  presence  the  amuse- 
ments of  the  f£te.  The  Mexican  generals  and  other  officers 
follow  in  his  wake,  and  the  gratifying  spectacle  may  not  un- 
frequently  be  seen,  of  the  President  leaning  from  his  box  in 
the  plaza  de  gallos,  or  Cock  Theatre,  and  betting  upon  a  Cock, 
with  a  coatless,  bootless,  hatless,  and  probably  worthless  raga- 
muffin in  the  pit ! 

"  We  went  to  the  gallos  about  three  o'clock.  The  Plaza 
was  crowded,  and  the  ladies,  in  their  boxes,  looked  like  a 
parterre  of  different-coloured  flowers.  But  whilst  the  Senoras 
in  their  boxes  did  honour  to  the  fete  by  their  brilliant  toilet, 
the  gentlemen  promenaded  round  the  circle  in  jackets,  high 
and  low  being  on  the  same  curtailed  footing,  and  certainly  in 


244  THE     GAME     FOWL. 

a  style  of  dress  more  befitting  the  exhibition.  The  President 
and  his  suite  were  already  there,  also  several  of  the  foreign 
ministers. 

"  Meanwhile,  the  Cocks  crowed  valiantly,  bets  were  adjusted, 
and  even  the  women  entered  into  the  spirit  of  the  scene, 
taking  bets  with  the  gentlemen,  sotto  voce,  in  their  boxes,  upon 
such  and  such  favourite  animal.  As  a  small  knife  is  fastened 
to  the  leg  of  each  Cock,  the  battle  seldom  lasted  long ;  one 
or  other  falling  every  few  minutes  in  a  pool  of  blood.  Then 
there  was  a  clapping  of  hands,  mingled  with  the  loud  crowing 
of  some  unfortunate  Cock,  who  was  giving  himself  airs  pre- 
vious to  a  combat  where  he  was  probably  destined  to  crow  his 
last.  It  has  a  curious  effect  to  European  eyes,  to  see  young 
ladies  of  good  family,  looking  peculiarly  feminine  and  gentle, 
sanctioning  by  their  presence  this  savage  diversion.  It  is  no 
doubt  the  effect  of  early  habit,  and  you  will  say  that  at  least 
it  is  no  worse  than  a  bull-fight ;  which  is  certain — yet  cruel 
as  the  latter  is,  I  find  something  more  en  grand,  more  noble 

in  the 

• 

'  Ungentle  sport  that  oft  invites 
The  Spanish  maid,  and  cheers  the  Spanish  swain;' 

in  the  roaring  of  the  '  lord  of  lowing  herds' ;  the  galloping 
of  the  fine  horses,  the  skill  of  the  riders,  the  gay  dresses,  the 
music  and  the  agile  matador;  in  short,  in  the  whole  pomp 
and  circumstances  of  the  combat,  than  when  one  looks  quietly 
on  to  see  two  birds  peck  each  other's  eyes  out,  and  cut  each 
other  to  pieces.  Unlike  Cock-pits  in  other  countries,  attended 
by  blacklegs  and  pick-pockets,  and  gentlemanly  roues,  by  far 
the  largest  portion  of  the  assembly  in  the  pit  was  composed 
of  the  first  young  men  in  Mexico,  and  for  that  matter,  of  the 
first  old  ones  also.  There  was  neither  confusion,  nor  noise, 
nor  even  loud  talking,  far  less  swearing,  amongst  the  lowest 
of  those  assembled  in  the  ring;  and  it  is  this  quiet  and  orderly 


THE    GAME     FOWL.  245 

behaviour  which  throws  over  all  these  incongruities  a  cloak  of 
decency  and  decorum,  that  hides  their  impropriety  so  com- 
pletely, that  even  foreigners,  who  have  lived  here  a  few  years, 
and  who  were  at  first  struck  with  astonishment  by  these  things, 
are  now  quite  reconciled  to  them. 

"As  far  as  the  company  went,  it  might  have  been  the 
House  of  Representatives  in  Washington ;  the  ladies  in  the 
gallery  listening  to  the  debates,  and  the  members  in  the  body 

of  the  house  surrounding  Messrs. and ,  or  any  other 

two  vehement  orators ;  applauding  their  biting  re-marks  and 
cutting  sarcasms,  and  encouraging  them  to  crow  over  each 
other.  The  President  might  have  been  the  speaker,  and  the 
Oorps  diplomatique  represented  itself.  In  the  evening  a  ball 
is  given  in  the  plaza  de  gallos." — Life  in  Mexico,  l>y  Madame 
Calderon  de  la  Barca,  p.  164. 

Among  the  amusements  at  Lima,  so  late  as  1849,  "The 
Cock-pit  is  a  great  attraction,  and  all  classes  frequent  it.  The 
Cocks  fight  in  spurs,  so  the  fight  is  soon  over.  My  stay  there 
was  not  long ;  a  very  fierce-looking  fellow,  with  a  sword-stick, 
said,  'Bet:'  I  did;  a  cock  fell,  and  he  pocketed  the  money 
and  walked  off.  Amusing  !  Drinking  coffee  under  the  vines 
pleased  me  better/' —  Walpole's  Four  Years  in  the  Pacific, 
vol.  ii.  p.  33. 


246 


THE    GAME    FOWL. 


THE  MEXICAN  HEN-COCK  GAME  FOWL. 

THROUGH  the  politeness  of  Geo.  P.  Burnham,  editor  of  the 
t(  American  Union/'  Boston,  I  am  able  to  present  to  my  read- 
ers, portraits  and  descriptions  of  the  Mexican  Game  Breed. 
It  will  be  observed  that  the  sickle  feathers,  proper  to  the 
Cock's  tail,  are  absent  in  this  variety.  This  arises,  doubtless, 
from  close  breeding,  or  rather  breeding  in-and-in,  as  it  is 
called.  The  neck  and  rump  hackles  are  but  indifferently  de- 
veloped. For  confirmation  of  breeding  in-and-in  being  the 
cause  of  this,  I  refer  the  readers  to  what  Mr.  Walker  says 
concerning  Sir  John  Sebright's  Bantams,  in  his  treatise  on 
Intermarriage.  I  have  occasionally  witnessed  the  same  thing 


THE    GAME     FOWL.  247 

ociurring  among  our  own  smooth-legged  Bantams.  Such  are 
reputed  to  be  the  best  fighters.  In  a  letter  I  received  yester- 
day, from  my  friend,  David  Taggart,  Esq.,  of  Northumber- 
land, Pa.,  he  says  :  "  I  was  at  Milton  a  few  weeks,  and  stopped 
at  the  public-house  of  Mr.  Frederick  Sticker,  who  has  been 
for  many  years,  a  breeder  of  Game  Fowls.  In  his  Poultry- 
yard,  I  discovered  two  Fowls,  that,  with  all  my  Chicken  ex- 
perience, puzzled  me,  at  first  glance,  to  know  their  sex.  They 
were  both  Cocks,  one  eighteen,  the  other  seven  months  old. 
Both  had  their  heads  shaved  in  regular  Game-chicken  style, 
and  neither  had  a  feather  on  him  that  indicated  a  male  bird, 
with  the  exception  of  one  or  two  of  the  longest  tail-feathers, 
slightly  curved  and  bent  over.  I  brought  the  younger  one 
with  me,  for  the  sake  of  his  portrait,  which  I  hope  to  send 
you  in  my  next  letter.  He  has,  you  will  observe,  (vide  Por- 
trait,) no  bright-coloured  plumage,  no  long  pendent  feathers 
on  neck  or  back,  nothing,  in  fact,  to  mark  his  sex,  but  a  proud 
stately  gait,  and  erect  mien.  He  is  full-blooded  Game,*»and 
old  Sticker  calls  him  a  Pheasant  Fowl.  It  is  only  occasienally 
they  appear  among  his  stock,  deriving  their  strange  appear- 
ance from  remote  ancestors;"  and,  my  friend,  you  might  have 
added,  from  breeding  in-and-in  for  many  years  past ;  at  least, 
I  will  venture  to  say  so,  without  knowing  further  particulars 
in  this  instance.  Of  two  things  I  am  quite  certain,  viz.  :  that 
Hen-tailed  Cocks  have  a  popular  reputation  of  being  great 
fighters,  and  that  they  generally,  if  not  always,  result  from 
breeding  in-and-in.  I  will  here  take  the  liberty  of  quoting 
Dr.  Bennett's  communication  to  the  "  American  Union"  news- 
paper, concerning  the  Mexican  Game  Fowl,  whose  portraits 
are  given  above.  He  says  :  "  These  Fowls  are  in  many 
resDects  remarkable.  The  Spanish  name,  "  Gallus  Gallenos," 
or  "Hen-cock,"  (Latin — Gallus  Gallinaceus^  at  once  intro- 
duces us  to  their  principal  peculiarity.  The  Cocks,  to  all 
intents  and  purposes,  resemble  ordinary  Hens — the  only 


248  THE    GAME    FOWL. 

marked  difference  being  in  the  size  of  the  comb  and  wattles. 
They  are  comparatively  destitute  of  neck  and  rump  hackles. 
The  colour  is  usually  similar  to  that  of  a  Partridge ;  the  legs 
are  dark  and  smooth,  the  eyes  lustrous,  and  the  plume-feathers 
are  shorter  and  less  brilliant  than  those  of  other  Fowls. 

In  size,  they  compare  favourably  with  other  Game  Fowls. 
Their  general  aspect  is  ferocious,  and  their  movements  are 
lively  and  graceful.  They  are  what  "cockers"  call/as^  fight- 
ers. The  particular  Fowls  here  described,  one  of  which  is 
represented  in  frhe  picture,  are  those  obtained  by  me  from 
John  Giles,  Esq.,  of  Providence,  and  Dr.  Eben  Wight,  of 
Dedham,  and  are  now  owned  by  C.  W.  Mead,  of  Chicopee, 
and  Samuel  Parker,  of  Worcester. 

The  Hen  portrayed  above,  is  an  imported  Cuban  Game  Fowl, 
now  owned  by  Mr.  Mead.  This  breed  are  perfectly  black,  and 
have  all  the  points  of  the  best  sorts  of  Game  Fowls.  Their 
prowess  is  wonderful,  and  it  is  rarely  the  case  that  one  of  them 
survives  a  defeat. 

The  following  letter  from  Col.  Adam  G.  Summer,  of  Poma- 
ria,  S.  C.,  to  the  author,  gives  so  ample  and  beautiful  a  de- 
scription of  this  Fowl,  that  further  comment,  here,  is  unne- 
cessary : — 

"  This  unique  variety  was  introduced  in  1844,  by  General 
Waddy  Thompson,  of  that  State,  on  his  return  from  Mexico. 
It  is  a  favourite  variety  with  the  Mexicans,  and  their  Mexican 
name  is  "  Gallus  Gallenos" — Hen-Cock,  from  the  fact  that 
the  male  birds  have  short  broad  tails,  and,  in  colour  and  plu- 
mage, the  appearance  of  the  Hens  of  the  same  variety  differing 
only  in  the  combs — which  is  very  large  and  erect  in  the  Cocks, 
and  small  in  the  Hens. 

"  In  Mexico,  they  are  fought  without  training,  and  the  Com- 
mon Game  Cook  will  not  attack  these  hen-looking  Cocks  until 
it  is  too  late.  The  Mexican  Cock  is  generally  Pheasant- 


THE     GAME     FOWL.  249 

coloured,  with  cccasional  changes  in  plumage  from  a  light  yellow 
to  a  dark  gray,  and  recently  in  the  stock  in  Carolina  there  has 
been  a  tendency  to  black  tail-feathers  and  breast,  as  well  as  an 
inclination  to  gray  and  light-yellow,  and  with  a  slight  approxi- 
mation to  red  hackles  in  some  rare  instances. 

"  The  majority  of  the  whole  stock,  however,  preserves  the 
original  Pheasant-colour.  This  variety  has  a  strong  frame,  and 
the  largest  and  most  muscular  thighs  of  any  Fowl  I  have  as 
yet  seen.  This  gives  quick  power  to  his  fierce  action  in  fight, 
and,  if  not  killed  immediately,  he  is  sure  to  be  victorious.  I  do 
not  know  whether  they  will  fight  well  in  a  cold  climate  like 
yours.  The  Cocks  are  distinguished  by  large  upright  combs, 
strong  bills,  and  very  large  lustrous  eyes.  Their  legs  vary 
from  a  dirty  to  a  dark  green-colour.  The  Hens  differ  so  little 
from  the  Cocks  that  a  description  is  unnecessary. 

"  They  are  as  good  layers  and  sitters  as  any  other  game 
breed-and  are  good  nurses.  The  Cock,  which  was  the  pro- 
genitor of  all  the  stock  now  in  the  United  States,  was  presented 
to  Gen.  Thomp'son,  by  Gen.  Santa  Anna,  just  before  he  closed 
his  official  career  as  Minister  to  Mexico,  and  was  victorious  in 
a  large  main,  fought  by  the  famous  Cock-fighting  Mexicans. 
Gen.  Thompson  sent  to  Queretaro  for  some  Hens,  and  thence 
sprang  all  the  true  Cock-Hens  now  in  this  country.  Those 
sent  by  my  brother,  Mr.  Summer,  to  Mr.  Giles,  Dr.  Wight,  and 
Mr.  Burton,  are  from  a  pair  presented  to  him  by  Gen.  Thomp- 
son, out  of  the  original  stock. 

te  Their  crosses  on  other  game  breeds  are  highly  esteemed 
here  as  fighting  Fowls,  and  their  muscular  forms  adapt  them 
as  well  for  the  spit  as  for  the  pit.  Wm.  Summer,  of  Pomaria, 
S.  C.,  breeds  them  in  their  purest  state,  and  regards  them  a 
valuable  Fowl  for  domestic  purposes. 

"A.  G.  SUMMER." 

Mr.  William  Summer,  in  a  letter  to  the  author,  dated  "  Po- 


250  THE     GAME    FOWL. 

maria,  S.  C.,  July  23d,  1850,"  in  speaking  of  these  Fowls, 

says  : — 

(( I  had  concluded  to  send  you  a  Hen  of  mine  to  make  out 
the  pair — one  that  General  Thompson  sent  me  as  particularly 
fine  ]  though  I  say,  in  all  sincerity  of  heart,  that  the  pair  sent 
by  me  to  Mr.  John  Giles  was  the  best  pair  I  have  ever  bred. 
You  are  fortunate  in  securing  them  from  him,  as  they  will  give 
the  very  best  representation  of  the  breed  when  in  full  feather. 
Mr.  Giles,  in  a  recent  letter,  informed  me  that  the  Cock  had  im- 
proved very  much." 

Colonel  Summer,  in  a  letter  of  July  8th,  1850,  observes : — 

'  Santa  Anna,  or,  properly,  'Hen-Cock,'  (Gallus  Gallenos — 
Spanish,)  were  brought  from  Queretaro,  by  Hon.  Waddy 
Thompson,  and  a  pair  presented  to  us  by  him  has  been  bred 
pure.  I  have  their  history  from  General  Thompson." 

OF  A  FOWL  DENOMINATED  THE  YANKEE  GAME,  Dr.  Ben- 
nett gives  the  following  description  : — He  says,  "  This  Fowl 
was  originally  produced  by  a  cross" — (I  don't«like  crosses  of 
any  kind,  except,  perhaps,  a  first  cross,  and  that  only  for  the 
table,  not  for  breeding  purposes,) — "  between  the  Plymouth 
Rock  and  Indian  Game  Hen.  But  a  few  only  have  been 
produced  from  this  mixture.  I  have  since  bred,  and  shall 
continue  to  breed,  this  race,  from  the  Cock  and  Hen  described 
in  the  preceding  articles;  that  is  to  say,  from  the  Spanish 
Cock  of  Mr.  Stacy,  and  the  wild  Indian  Hen  of  Mr.  Estes. 

t(  This  variety  combines  the  great  strength  and  size  of  the 
Wild  Indian  Game  Hen,  and  the  sprightliness  and  beauty  of 
the  Spanish  Game,  and  thus  partakes  of  the  general  cha- 
racteristics of  the  two  best  kinds  of  Game  Fowl.  For  loftiness, 
carriage,  hauteur,  compactness  of  form,  healthiness,  neatness, 
sprightliness,  and  general  beauty,  this  sort  are  unrivalled ;  and, 
so  far  as  fine  flesh  and  captivating  appearance  are  concerned, 
they  are,  undoubtedly,  the  best  breed  in  America."  So  says 


THE    GAME     FOWL.  251 

Dr.  Bennett ;  but  I  say,  with  due  deference,  that,  being  mon- 
grels, they  must,  of  necessity  "  cry  back"  to  one  of  the  original 
progenitors ;  and  the  first  intimation  of  "  crying  back"  will 
prove  but  the  beginning  of  the  end ;  so  that,  in  the  language 
of  Peisthetserus,  the  breeders  and  fanciers  of  mongrels  shall 
still  have  to  utter  their  complaint : — 

"Plague  on  thee  !  but  this  bird  of  mine  croaks  'back  again.'  " 

I  cannot  better  illustrate  this  point,  than  by  quoting  a  part 
of  a  letter  which  I  have  just  received  from  my  friend,  Mr. 
Taggart,  of  Northumberland,  Pa.  He  says,  "  In  the  spring 
of  1839,  my  father  purchased  a  pair  of  pure  Creole  Fowls  in 
Reading.  Having  charge  of  the  Chicken  department,  I  bred 
them  pure  for  two  seasons.  After  that,  I  introduced  one-eighth 
or  more  of  the  blood  of 'a  large  yellow  breed  of  Fowls,  to  give 
them  additional  size  and  strength ;  always  taking  care  to  pre- 
serve the  white  necks,  spotted  bodies,  and  blue  legs  of  the  un- 
adulterated Creoles.  Notwithstanding  this  precaution  for 
several  years,  I  had  among  my  broods  a  number  of  brown  or 
yellow  Chickens.  At  last,  the  strain  ran  entirely  out,  and  now 
my  Creoles  are  as  pure,  and  breed  as  certainly  as  your  Shang- 
haes }  but  they  have  also  gone  back  to  the  size  of  their  Reading 
progenitors." 

An  elderly  friend  of  mine,  residing  some  eighteen  miles  north 
of  Philadelphia,  told  me,  last  summer,  that  the  Frizzled  Fowl 
was  introduced  among  his  Poultry,  and,  not  being  pleased  with 
the  result,  he  made  it  a  point  to  kill  off  all  the  young  of  that 
variety,  before  they  were  old  enough  to  breed  from ;  and  that 
he  was  seven,  years  in  thus  restoring  his  flock  to  their  original 
condition ;  fewer  and  fewer  appearing  each  year,  until  about 
the  seventh  year,  when,  and  since,  none  appeared. 

I  take  pleasure  in  'presenting  the  following  letters  of  my 
friend,  Mr.  Taggart,  in  relation  to  a  peculiar  variety  of  Game 
Fowl  in  his  possession ;  also,  in  relation  to  some  Chittagongs 


252  THE    GAME    FOWL. 

he  obtained  of  me  during  the  last  summer.     They  will  be  read 
with  interest,  especially  as  they  abound,  also,  in  many  import- 
ant miscellaneous  remarks  and  suggestions  : — 
DR.  J.  J.  KERR  : 

Dear  Sir: — I  certainly  owe  you  a  long  letter,  and  if  I  am 
not  able  to  pay  it  to-night,  you  may  very  soon  expect  another, 
and,  this  time,  without  fail. 

Our  term  of  Court  came  on  early  in  the  month,  and  lasted 
two  weeks.  This,  of  course,  had  to  be  attended.  Since  then, 
I  have  been  waiting  on  my  friend,  Dr.  Kobt.  B.  McCay,  to 
sJcetch  a  Chicken  or  two  for  me,  which  I  have  thought  suffi- 
ciently remarkable  to  deserve  a  place  in  the  book.  *  *  * 

As  ignorance  is  in  all  cases  preferable  to  error,  it  is  certainly 
a  writer's  highest  duty  to  know  well  what  he  undertakes  to 
teach.  Impressed  with  this  idea,  my  dear  sir,  the  aid  I  shall 
be  able  to  afford  you  in  your  very  laudable  enterprise,  must, 
of  necessity,  be  trifling  and  unimportant.  I  may  furnish  a  few 
striking  facts  in  support  of  certain  doctrines  you  will  be  likely 
to  advance.  And  this  I  will  do  right  gladly,  for  I  consider  a 
man  who  writes  a  book  on  a  useful  and  interesting  subject,  one 
of  the  greatest  of  mankind's  benefactors 

Accidental  qualities  may  be  transmitted  from  parent  to 
child,  as  the  following  will  show  : — 

A  friend  of  mine,  the  late  Robert  Grant,  owned  a  fine  large 
breed  of  Game  Fowls — shawl  necks,  or  Irish  grays ;  the  Cocks 
weighing  seven  pounds.  One  of  his  roosters,  when  a  mere 
chicken,  stepped  into  the  fire,  and  roasted  off  his  toe-nails. 
He  hardly  ever  got  an  offspring  that  did  not,  more  or  less,  show 
his  parentage,  by  defective  toes.  I  procured  a  couple  of  his 
progeny,  and  have  the  Hen  yet.  Her  Chickens  and  grand' 
chickens  have  the  same  signs.  Is  it  not  wonderful,  that  a 
mere  accident  should  thus  mark  at  least  four  generations  ? 

Two  years  ago,  I  purchased,  from  a  gentleman  in  Blooms- 


254  THE     GAME     FOWL. 

rats  are  exterminated,  as  in  all  cases  they  should  be,  there 
will  be  no  trouble  in  raising  almost  as  many  Ducks  as  you  have 
Eggs.  One  year,  from  94  Eggs,  I  had  91  hatched,  and  raised 
87.  Twenty-four  of  these  were  Musk,  or  Muscovy  Ducks,  as 
they  are  erroneously  termed.  In  speaking  of  the  prolificness  of 
Ducks,  I  don't  think  this  variety  should  be  included.  They 
lay  comparatively  few  Eggs.  Ducks  come  early  to  maturity, 
being  nearly  full  grown,  and  in  fine  eating  order  at  three  months 
old,  far  excelling,  in  this  respect,  all  other  Poultry,  except 
Geese. 

Of  the  large  white  Aylesbury,  and  the  still  larger  Rouen 
Duck,  I  know  nothing  but  what  I  have  read. 

But  of  all  Poultry,  Geese  can  be  raised  with  the  greatest 
ease,  in  the  sluwtest  time,  and  at  the  least  expense,  provided  you 
live  in  the  country,  or  in  a  village  where  grass  grows  in  the 
streets  and  alleys.  I  have  only  reared  them  once,  but  I  am 
certain  Goslings  can  be  brought  up  on  grass  alone.  Though, 
of  course,  they  grow  much  faster  if  better  fed.  I  fed  mine 
well,  on  Indian  meal  and  milk,  and  sometimes  on  corn — this 
in  addition  to  good  pasture — and  see  the  result.  They  are 
of  common  blood,  and  not  remarkable  in  size.  At  33  days 
old,  one  weighed  5|  Ibs. ;  at  47  days,  6  Ibs.  15  oz. ;  54  days, 
8  Ibs.  3  oz. ;  64  days,  8  Ibs.  14  oz. ;  at  93  days,  11 J  Ibs., 
when  I  killed  them.  For  Eggs,  Geese  are  no  "  great  shakes ;" 
but,  to  use  a  Crockettism,  they're on  a  grow. 

You  have  not  asked  my  views  on  Turkeys ;  but  what  little 
I  know,  I  may  as  well  impart.  I  raised  two  broods,  last  sum- 
mer, by  way  of  experiment.  The  first  lot,  to  the  number  of  fif- 
teen, were  hatched  in  June,  under  Hens.  With  these  I  was  very 
successful,  having  lost  but  one.  The  Gobblers  now  weigh  11  or 
12  Ibs.;  the  Hens,  7  or  8.  I  was  very  careful  of  them,  feeding 
them  on  the  curds  of  milk,  and  waste  bread,  soaked  in  milk, 
until  they  were  four  or  five  weeks  old.  After  that,  I  was  not  so 
particular  :  I  kept  them  in  the  garden,  and  by  the  time  they 


THE     GAME     FOWL.  255 

were  eight  weeks  old,  they  had  so  stripped  the  onion-beds  that 
not  a  top  was  to  be  seen.  It  no  doubt  benefited  them  greatly. 
With  a  later  brood,  I  was  not  so  fortunate :  I  raised  but  the 
half  of  them,  and  they  are  stinted  and  puny.  On  the  whole, 
Turkeys  may  be  set  down  as  tender  birds,  and  their  rearing 
attended  with  very  uncertain  results. 

Great  mistakes  are  sometimes  committed  by  writers  on 
Poultry,  in  regard  to  the  various  periods  of  incubation  of 
Hens,  Ducks,  Turkeys,  etc.  I  have  taken  some  pains  to  as- 
certain the  true  time  of  each,  and  I  will  give  you  the  result : 

A  Hen,  under  ordinary  circumstances,  sits 20  days, 

A  Guinea  Fowl 25£  " 

A  Duck 26     " 

A  Turkey 27     " 

A  Goose  29     " 

A  Musk  Duck  32  or  33  days. 

From  these  figures  you  will  find  but  small  and  infrequent 
variations.  I  never  knew  but  one  very  decided  exception. 
Early  in  last  March,  I  got  a  neighbour  to  set  one  of  his  Hens 
for  me.  She  was  extremely  poor,  and  her  nest  was  in  a  bleak, 
open,  and  empty  hay-mow.  March  was  a  very  cold  month, 
and  the  winds  played  all  around  her,  above  her,  and  under  her. 
She  sat  almost  on  the  bare  boards.  About  the  22d  day,  I  be- 
gan to  think  it  was  uno  go/7  and  broke  one  of  the  Eggs.  I 
found,  to  my  surprise,  a  live  Chicken,  which  still  lacked  four 
or  five  days  of  perfection.  On  the  27th  day,  she  brought  out 
eight  rather  puny  Chicks.  Some  of  them  I  was  able  to  raise. 
As  the  Hen  began  to  keep  her  nest  several  days  before  the 
Eggs  were  given  to  her,  there  can  be  no  mistake  as  to  the  time. 
I  always  note  it  down. 

It  has  been  asserted  that  Hens'  Eggs  have  been  hatched  in 
eighteen  days.  But  this,  you  may  depend,  never  happened 
since  the  first  Hen  brought  forth  her  first  brood  in  Adam's 


256  THE     GAME    FOWL. 

chicken-house.      It  is  contra  naturam.     Incubation  may  be 
prolonged,  but  not  hastened."* 

Passages  of  the  following  letter  from  Mr.  Taggart  I  have 
incorporated  in  other  parts  of  the  book.  I  have  concluded, 
however,  to  submit  it  in  full  to  the  careful  reader ;  and  also  a 
briefer  epistle  from  the  same  hand,  correcting  one  or  two  tri- 
fling errors  in  former  communications,  and  adding  to  some 
views  previously  herein  expressed. 

DR.  J.  J.  KERR  : 

Dear  Sir: — Your  very  flattering  letter  of  Wednesday,  in- 
duces me  to  resume  my  pleasant  undertaking.  I  regret  that 
I  have  not  more  leisure  to  do  justice  to  my  friend,  myself,  and 
the  subject. 

You  express  some  little  surprise  at  the  minuteness  of  my 
observations.  But  please,  remember,  that  from  my  earliest 
boyhood,  I  have  been  a  devoted,  constant,  and  intense  admirer 
of  nature's  live-stock.  This  disposition  has  grown  with  my 
years,  and  will  follow  me,  I  trust,  unaltered  and  undiminished, 
to  the  grave.  Menageries,  Cattle  Shows,  and,  most  especially, 
Poultry-yards,  have  always  been  my  delight.  When  six  or 
eight  years  old,  I  knew  almost  every  Cock  and  Hen  in  the  vil- 
lage. And,  though  my  own  stock  sometimes  numbers  two  or 
three  hundred,  I  can  individualize,  nay,  give  the  age,  history, 
and  genealogy  of  every  Chicken.  Thus  much  for  your  friend's 
experience,  and  his  reliableness  as  an  observer. 

In  these  hasty  and  ill-digested  sketches,  it  must  of  neces- 
sity happen,  that  many  things  are  written  which  will  neither 


*  I  have  had  Chicks  to  hatch  out  on  the  evening  of  the  18th  day  ; 
having  been  set  early  in  the  morning  of  the  first  day,  of  course,  the 
period  of  incubation  was  some  ten  or  twelve  hours  over  18  days.  My 
friend,  Mr.  Cope,  had  one  or  two  Chicks  to  hatch  out  on  the  27th  day; 
none  have  come  out  with  myself  later  than  the  23d  day. — ED. 


THE     GAME     FOWL.  257 

please  the  critic  nor  enlighten  the  poulterer.  These  it  will 
he  your  province  to  curtail,  enlarge,  alter,  or  expunge,  accord- 
ing to  your  older  and  hetter  judgment.  The  clay  is  in  the 
hands  of  the  potter  :  let  him  mould  it  as  he  will. 

There  is  one  very  important  item  in  Poultry-breeding,  which 
I  have  never  seen  sufficiently  dwelt  on  in  books,  and  that  is, 
the  great  advantage  of  having  early  spring-hatched  Pullets,  to 
lay  in  October,  November,  and  December,  when  Eggs  are 
scarcest,  and  command  the  highest  price.  I  never  kill  a  Pul- 
let hatched  earlier  than  May,  until  very  cold  weather,  or  some 
other  circumstance,  '•has  put  an  end  to  her  winter  laying.  I 
have  seven  young  Hens,  a  cross  between  the  Creole  and 
Booby,  hatched  in  April,  and  all  are  now  laying.  One  began 
on  the  18th  October,  and  has  laid  36  Eggs;  and  some  of  them, 
if  well  managed,  will  lay  all  winter.  On  this  account,  early 
maturity  is  very  much  to  be  desired  in  Chickens.  And  no 
Fowl  is  longer  in  attaining  maturity  than  a  pure  Booby,  or 
Bucks  County  Pullet,  at  least  as  far  as  Eggs  are  concerned. 
Though  hatched  in  March  and  April,  they  seldom  lay  in 
autumn,  while  some  other  breeds  feel  bound  to  produce  when 
6  or  even  5J  months  old.  In  estimating  the  value  of  breeds, 
surely  this  is  a  consideration  of  great  importance.  At  all 
events,  I  will  not  recommend  the  Boobies,  though,  when 
crossed  with  Creoles  or  other  prolific  birds,  they  do  well 
enough.  In  fact,  they  do  very  well  themselves  in  spring  and 
summer ;  but  are  not  much  worth  in  winter. 

Last  fall,  I  had  a  Game  Pullet  that  began  to  lay  on  the  14th 
of  September,  though  she  was  hatched  on  the  29th  of  March. 
I  have  never  known  greater  precocity  than  this,  unless  you  are 
right  in  the  age  of  my  brown  Chittagong.  She  began  to  lay 
October  19th,  and  was,  consequently,  but  five  months  old,  if 
you  are  not  mistaken  in  her  age,  as  I  think  you  are.  Be  that 
as  it  may,  if  mine  are  fair  samples,  the  Chittagongs  are  highly 
commendable,  not  only  for  their  enormous  size,  but  for  the 

22* 


258  THE     GAME     FOWL. 

early  and  rapid  production  of  Eggs.     But,  "  nous  verrons"  as 
old  Ritchie  used  to  say. 

If  a  goodly  number  of  early  Pullets  of  a  prolific  breed 
were  kept  over,  and  well  fed,  instead  of  slaughtered  to  fill  the 
paunch  of  some  impatient  glutton,  the  great  scarcity  of  Eggs 
in  late  autumn  and  early  winter,  would,  in  a  measure,  cease. 

It  strikes  me  a  Hybrid  (the  first  cross)  will  come  to  matu- 
rity sooner  than  did  either  of  its  progenitors ;  and  that  a  cross 
between  the  Creole  and  the  Polish  or  the  Black  Spanish  would 
produce  the  best  laying  Hens  in  the  world.  If  I  am  able  to 
procure  either  of  the  two  last  mentioned,  I  will  try  it.  All 
these  things  are  worthy  of  inquiry,  and  should  be  fully  inves- 
tigated. 

If  mongrelizing  be,  in  no  case,  followed  by  permanent  re- 
sults, how  is  it  that  the  Dorkings,  which  are  said  to  be  a 
mixture,  have  been  so  celebrated  for  many  years  ?  If,  as  you 
assert,  and  as  I  am  prone  to  believe,  no  permanent  interme- 
diate race  can  be  established  by  crossing,  it  follows,  ex  necessi- 
tate,  that  every  well-defined  breed  has  now,  or  has  had  a 
separate  and  distinct  original  in  the  wilderness.  All  could  not 
have  descended  from  the  Gallus  Giganteus  and  the  Bankiva,  for 
all  would  in  a  few  years  revert  back  to  the  type  of  the  one  or  the 
other.  But  here,  instead  of  furnishing  you  with  my  experi- 
ence, I  am  presumptuously  splurging  out  among  theorems  and 
speculations — and  that  is  not  my  task.  Facts  !  i  them's  the 
jockeys  for  me  !'  as  you  very  eloquently  remarked  about  the 
Shanghaes. 

When  I  was  a  little  boy,  I  owned  a  very  odd-looking  sort 
of  Fowls,  called  "Creepies,"  or  "  Creepers,"  from  their  ex- 
ceedingly short  legs ;  and  another  kind,  called  "  Bunties/' 
which  had  no  tails,  and,  in  fact,  no  place  for  a  tail  to  grow — 
they  had  no  rumps.  The  Creepers  I  have  seen*  of  all  sizes, 
from  two  pounds  to  five,  with  legs  much  shorter  than  Bantams, 
and  entirely  bare.  Of  these  varieties,  I  have  never  seen  moro 


THE     GAME     FOWL.  259 

*;han  a  passing  notice  ]  and  surely  they  are  sufficiently  remark- 
able to  deserve  greater  attention.  I  do  not  mean  that  the  Creep- 
ers are  very  distinctive  in  any  other  feature  than  their  short 
legs ;  for  I  have  seen  them  of  all  colours  ;  with  combs  double 
and  single,  legs  yellow,  black,  blue,  and  white ;  with  crests, 
and  without  them :  and  *so  of  the  other  sort.  Nay,  I  have 
seen  Fowls  that  were  both  "Creepers"  and  "Bunties."  In 
crossing  the  first-named  with  long-legged  Chickens,  if  I  re- 
member correctly,  the  Hybrid  had  either  the  short  legs  of  the 
one,  or  the  long  legs  of  the  other — no  half-and-half — a  full 
Creeper,  or  no  Creeper  at  all.  While,  in  mixing  the  Bunties, 
you  will  sometimes  get  one  sort,  and  sometimes  the  other — 
but  generally  an  ugly-looking  monstrosity,  with  a  piece  of  a 
tail,  pointing  towards  the  ground.  But  these  are  small  mat- 
ters, and  you  can  notice  them  or  not,  as  you  like. 

I  do  not  remember  writing  to  you  of  a  very  careful  dissec- 
tion my  friend,  Dr.  Robt.  B.  McCay,  and  myself  made  of  a 
young  Turkey,  suffering  with  gapes.  It  was  very  small  and 
stunted  from  its  birth.  It  had  great  difficulty  in  breathing. 
Its  lungs  and  other  viscera  seemed  sound,  but  the  windpipe 
was  almost  filled  with  a  number  of  double,  and  sometimes 
triple-headed  worms,  which  adhered  with  the  utmost  pertina- 
city to  the  sides,  raising,  at  the  point  of  contact,  an  excrescence 
or  rough  swelling.  The  worms  were  an  inch  in  length,  and 
of  this  fashion  :  V^^^"\ .  The  extra  heads,  or  necks,  are 
much  more  slender  than  the  main  trunk,  and  colourless,  while 
the  other  is  dark.  I  have  very  frequently  found  them  in 
Chickens,  while  in  others  that  manifested  the  same  external 
symptoms,  there  were  none  to  be  found.  Whether  this  parasite 
is  the  cause  of  the  disease,  or  one  of  its  effects,  I  am  unable 
to  say  without  further  experiments. 

I  have  seen  it  stated  somewhere,  that  a  Hen,  if  allowed  to 
raise  her  own  brood,  will  sit  but  once  in  a  season.  This  is  a 
very  gross  error.  I  have  known  Hens  to  incubate  three 


260  THE     GAME     FOWL. 

times  in  a  year,  with  good  success,  and  raise  their  own  broods. 
Nay,  four  times  is  possible,  if  you  will  be  unwisely  troubled 
with  a  November  brood.  With  a  young  Hen,  the  desire  to 
lay  again  soon  returns,  and  she  abandons  her  flock  at  five 
weeks,  and  sometimes  four,  and  even  three  iveeks.  Under 
these  circumstances,  a'  Hen  that  brings  out  her  early  brood 
on  the  first  of  April,  deserts  them  about  the  first  of  May,  lays 
two  weeks  in  an  undisturbed  nest,  resumes  the  task  of  incu- 
bation, and,  on  the  4th  of  June,  brings  out  her  second.  At 
the  same  rate,  before  the  middle  of  August  she  hatches  her 
third  litter.  This  is  often  the  case  with  young  Hens,  that 
have  been  well  fed  during  their  maturity,  and  not  cooped  up. 
Old  ones,  whose  ovaries  are  measurably  exhausted,  are  not  in 
such  a  hurry  to  re-commence  operations.  I  have  seen  such  ones 
running  with  their  Chickens  until  they  were  nearly  grown. 

The  turning  of  a  sitting  Hen's  Eggs,  is,  I  verily  believe,  a 
humbug.  In  the  first  place,  it  seems  unnecessary,  as  the  em- 
bryo is  said  to  be  always  uppermost,  let  the  Egg  rest  as  it  will ; 
and,  in  the  second  place,  the  Hen  herself  never  turns  them, 
except  by  accident.  Sometimes,  and  especially  when  she  re- 
sumes her  nest,  the  Eggs  are  not  fixed  to  her  liking — they  do 
not  fit  properly,  and  then  she  gives  them  a  turn  or  two  with 
her  beak,  to  adapt  them  to  her  fancy ;  but  certainly  not  to  get 
the  other  side  up,  as  many  people  believe. 

I  can  put- your  readers  in  a  sure  way  of  finding  out  how  many 
Chickens  they  are  going  to  have,  before  the  Hen  is  half  done 
sitting.  I  can  tell  very  easily  at  the  end  of  a  week,  but  it  is 
safer  for  a  green  hand  to  wait  two  or  three  days  longer.  The 
advantage  is,  that  by  taking  out  the  unfertile  Eggs,  you  give 
the  others  a  better  chance ;  and,  if  you  have  two  or  three  Hens 
contemporaneously  sitting,  two  may  be  able  to  cover  the  good 
Eggs  of  three,  and  the  third  be  ready  for  a  new  batch.  This  is 
sometimes  desirable.  And  now  "  pro  modo  operandi."  Take 
the  Eggs  (very  carefully,  of  course,)  into  a  darkened  apart- 


THE    GAME    FOWL.  261 

ment,  (the  darker  the  better,)  where,  if  possible,  the  sun  shines 
through  a  single  crevice.  Hold  the  Egg  up  to  the  ray  of  light, 
and  if  it  is  bound  to  hatch,  all  below  the  vacuum  in  the  "  butt" 
will  be  dark-coloured  opaque  j  if  not,  it  will  be  light-coloured 
and  yellowish,  and  not  entirely  impervious  to  the  sunshine.  It 
sometimes  happens  a  whole  batch  is  worthless.  In  this  case, 
it  is  better  that  a  Hen  should  cover  them  eight  or  ten  days, 
than  twenty. 

With  double-yolked  Eggs  I  have  tried  some  experiments, 
always  putting  them  under  Hens,  if  in  season.  And  though 
I  have  thus  treated  more  than  twenty,  I  have  never  got  a  live 
Chicken.  The  first  year  I  had  my  Creoles,  one  of  the  Eggs 
was  double,  and  I  put  it  under  with  the  rest.  When  the  brood 
was  all  hatched,  I  opened  it ,  and,  to  speak  pathetically,  there, 
in  the  repose  of  death,  lay  two  perfect  disunited  Chickens. 
They  did  not  possess  strength  enough  to  get  out.  This  is  the 
nearest  I  ever  came  to  success.  In  the  same  season,  an  ordi- 
nary-looking Egg,  of  the  same  Hen,  when  half  hatched,  was 
accidentally  broken.  I  took  it  from  the  nest,  and  discovered, 
to  my  astonishment,  an  embryo,  with  two  beaks,  and  almost 
two  entire  heads.  The  heads  branched  at  the  eye,  exhibiting 
a  perfect  eye  on  the  outside  of  each  caput,  and  a  deformed  or 
double  one  between  them.  In  two  or  three  other  cases,  the 
vital  principle  of  the  one  half  seemed  to  germinate  for  a  time, 
but,  probably  on  account  of  the  barrenness  of  the  other  half, 
never  came  to  maturity.  But  in  a  large  majority  of  the  cases, 
I  might  as  well  have  set  my  Hens  with  bricks. 

Talking  of  unnaturals,  reminds  me  of  a  young  Cock  I  once 
had,  whose  legs  were  frozen  off  at  the  knees.  He  grew  to  be 
a  fine  healthy  Fowl ;  and,  the  next  summer,  stumped  it  about 
as  gaily  and  as  gallantly,  as  his  more  fortunate  brothers.  A 
black  man,  who  sometimes  worked  for  us,  was  exceedingly 
anxious  to  procure  the  breed;  because,  as  he  said,  "dey 
couldn't  scrashde  garden/' 


262  THE     GAME    FOWL. 

*        *         *        *       At  last  we  missed  him,  and  I  always 
thought  the  nigger  stole  him  for  the  sake  of  the  breed. 

The  nests  of  sitting  Hens  should  be  made  shallow — not  more 
than  four  or  five  inches  deep — so  that,  in  stepping  in,  they  may 
not  break  the  Eggs  by  a  big  jump;  as  they  are  very  apt  to 
do,  if  the  nests  are  deeper.  Another  improvement  is,  to  turn 
the  box,  that  the  opening  may  face  the  wall.  Let  the  boxes 
be  placed  on  a  platform  raised  a  few  inches  above  the  ground, 
with  only  two  nests  between  the  ports  of  entrance,  that  the 
Hens  may  not  be  induced  to  enter  the  wrong  ones  by  having 
to  pass  them.  See  diagram  : — 


x  x  x — Gangway  between  nests  and  wall. 
ABCD — Ports  of  entry. 


Hen  No.   1  goes  to  port  A,  and  turns   to   the 
right.     No.  2  goes  to  same  port,  and  turns  left, 


and  so  forth.     The  advantages  of  this  plan  are 
obvious,  for  it  insures  both  secresy  and  repose. 

You  ask  my  views  on  Chittagongs  and  Shang- 
haes.  I  have  partly  given  them  already.  The 
Chittagongs,  though  they  may  not  breed  all  alike, 
are  certainly  huge  and  magnificent  birds,  and 
_  withal  precocious.  My  young  Stag,  unlike  most 
other  large  Fowls,  is  stately  as  a  monarch*,  which  he  certainly 
is  in  my  Poultry -yard.  One  Pullet  has  already  won  for  her- 
self "  imperishable  laurels"  as  a  layer,  and  the  other  has 
already  entered  the  lists.  The  Shanghaes  are  very  pure-looking, 
and  very  beautiful.  The  Pullet  is  the  handsomest  she-fowl 
I  ever  saw.  She  looks  like  a  Durham  heifer,  if  I  may  force 
the  comparison.  But  the  Stag,  poor  fellow !  I  am  afraid  is 
going  to  die.  If  he  does,  look  well  to  your  chicken-roost 
when  I  come  down.  He  seems  very  much  indisposed, — his 
eyes  are  watery,  and  the  parts  about  them  swollen, — his  feet 


THE    GAME    FOWL.  263 

are  cold,  and  he  has  a  fashion  of  shaking  his  head,  which, 
certainly,  does  not  betoken  good  health.  Though  he  has  at 
times  been  quite  lively,  he  has  always  remained  extremely 
thin.  His  frame-work  is  gigantic,  but  he  weighs  less  than  6|  Ibs. 

I  hope  you  will  give  Mr.  Allen's  Appendix  a  dig,  as  regards 
the  weight  of  large  Fowls.  He  says,  "it  takes  an  unusually 
fine  Cock  of  any  breed,  to  weigh  7£  Ibs."  This  fall,  I  lost  a 
Booby  Cock,  fifteen  months  old,  that  weighed  10  J  Ibs.,  and 
when  he  took  ill,  he  was  rapidly  on  the  increase.  And  I 
doubt  not,  in  another  year  he  would  have  weighed  12  or  13  Ibs., 
but  he  was  much  the  finest  of  his  breed.  They  usually  weigh 
8£  or  9  Ibs.,  when  a  year  old.  I  have  a  Hen  of  that  sort,  that 
weighed  last  spring  8|  Ibs., — the  most  of  the  Hens  from  6  J  to 
7  J.  Then,  if  Boobies  so  greatly  exceed  Mr.  Allen's  ultimatum 
of  7£,  what  will  Cochin  Chinas,  Shanghaes,  and  Chittagongs 
do  ?  Poke  it  at  him  !  "  I'll  bade  you .'" 

In  my  last  letter,  I  said  something  in  favour  of  Ducks  and 
Geese,  but  not  enough.  Among  other  things,  I  said  they 
were  hardy.  This  is  so  true,  that  I  have  never  seen  an  adult 
Duck  or  Goose  sick  or  drooping,  and  scarcely  ever  a  young 
one.  If  they  are  lost,  it  is  by  cats  and  rats,  but  seldom  by 
disease.  While  Turkeys  and  Chickens  may  be  seen  moping  in 
corners,  gasping  and  coughing,  Ducks  and  Geese  waddle  about 
in  comfortable  and  greasy  health, — always  ready  for  their 
rations,  and,  unless  barbarously  starved,  always  fit  for  the 
table.  All  that  is  said  or  .written  about  fattening  them  is 
vain  and  idle.  Fed  abundantly  in  any  way,  at  liberty  or 
"  cabined,  cribbed,  confined,"  a  grown  Goose  or  Duck  is  gene- 
rally too  fat  for  table  use,  unless  large  quantities  of  the  "adi- 
pose" are  taken  from  it  before  cooking.  I  have  seen  whole 
platefuls  of  "goose-grease"  abstracted  from  a  single  bird, 
though  no  extra  pains  had  been  taken  with  it.  Then  what 
is  the  use  of  cruelly  stuffing  them,  or  more  cruelly  incarce- 
rating them;  as  is  often  recommended  ? 


264  THE     GAME     FOWL. 

It  is  a  mistake  to  suppose  that  a  pond  of  water  or  a  running 
brook  is  essential  to  the  thrift  of  either  Duck  or  Goose.  It 
may  afford  them  facilities  for  washing  their  feathers ;  but  all 
the  water  they  need,  is  a  panful,  at  all  times  by  them,  to  drink. 
No  one  has  had  better  luck  with  them  than  myself,  and  my 
web-footed  bipeds  never  saw  river,  pond  or  brook, — nothing 
more  extensive  nor  permanent  than  a  mud-puddle  after  a 
shower. 

While  on  the  subject  of  web-feet,  I  will  tell  you  the  story 
of  Isaac  0' Banner's  Game  Chickens,  lest  you  should  never  have 
heard  it.  Of  course,  you  will  not  put  it  in  the  book,  for  fear 
there  might  be  some  mistake  about  it.  Isaac  had  been  to  a 
Cock-fight,  and  was  so  pleased  with  the  pluck  of  the  com- 
batants, that  he  determined  to  have  some  of  the  same.  A 
friend  promised  him  some  Game  Cock's  Eggs,  and,  in  fulfilment, 
sent  him  those  of  Ducks.  Isaac  set  them  under  his  Hen,  and 
though  he  thought  they  were  very  slow  about  coming  out,  he 
waited  patiently  till  they  broke  the  shell.  But  then,  there 
was  no  limit  to  his  admiration  and  delight.  He  took  one  up 
in  his  hand.  He  looked  at  its  bill,  and  exclaimed,  in  great 
glee,  "  Jiminy,  what  a  neb  !  If  he  takes  hould,  he'll  niver  let 
go  !"  He  glanced  at  its  feet,  and  that  capped  the  climax  of  his 
extacy,  and  says  he,  "  What  a  fine  wide  fut  he's  got ! — all 
—  would' nt  thrip  him  up.1"  But,  alas  for  the  vanity  of 
human  hopes  !  Isaac  had  to  leave  home,  and  the  care  of  the 
Chickens,  for  a  season,  devolved  on  his  brother  Amos.  Now, 
in  feeding,  it  struck  Amos  that  the  Game  Chickens  shovelled 
up  a  great  deal  more  than  their  share,  owing  to  their  broad 
"bakes."  And  being  a  great  lover  of  justice,  he  picked  them 
up,  and  whittled  their  bills  down  to  a  point,  that  the  others 
might  have  an  even  chance  with  them.  In  consequence  of 
this  treatment,  Isaac  O'Sanner's  Game  Chickens  never  won  a 
battle. 


THE     GAME     FOWL.  265 

As  food  for  Poultry,  many  things  are  recommended,  and 
many  things  are  good.  But  of  all  grains,  economy  properly 
considered,  Indian  corn  is  probably  the  best  as  a  standard-  — 
chopped  for  small  ones,  and  whole  or  chopped  for  large  and 
half-grown  Fowls.  When  made  into  meal,  it  can  be  mixed 
with  the  surplus  milk,  or  with  the  water  that  meat  has  been 
cooked  in,  with  great  advantage.  For  young  and  growing 
Poultry, — Turkeys,  Greese,  Ducks,  or  Chickens, — milk  in  any 
shape,  is  most  particularly  beneficial.  Fowls  are  very  fond  of 
wheat,  but  it  is  too  expensive.  Oats  are  (or  is,  which  say  you  ?) 
light,  and  consequently  not  so  cheap  as  they  seern.  One 
bushel  of  corn  is  worth  two  of  oats,  for  Poultry,  and  for  almost 
any  thing  else.  As  for  rye,  Chickens  will  scarcely  eat  it.  In 
winter,  when  Hens  are  of  necessity  prevented  from  getting 
green  food  for  themselves,  they  should  be  well  supplied  with 
the  leaves  of  cabbage,  beets,  and  other  vegetables,  and  with 
the  half-rotten  apples.  The  very  eagerness  with  which  they 
devour  such  things,  after  a  long  abstinence,  is  proof  of  their 
utility.  But  of  all  extras  for  Fowls  in  winter,  meat  is  the 
most  beneficial — from  chopped  beef-steak  to  cheese-maggots. 
Furnish  a  Hen  with  animal  food,  and  occasionally  something 
verdant, — put  her  in  comfortable  lodgings,  where  water  and 
pebble-stones  and  pounded  bones  can  be  had  at  all  times,  with 
a  dust-hole  to  wash  lierself  in, — and,  if  she  be  young,  she  will 
quite  probably  forget  that  it  is  winter,  and  proceed  to  lay. 
Old  Hens  cannot  be  so  easily  deceived.  They  are  too  cunning. 
It  is  as  much  as  a  bargain  to  get  them  to  lay  by  the  first  of 
April.  These  stubborn  old  matriarchs  should  be  served  like 
traitors  to  liberty — have  their  tails  cut  off,  just  behind  their 
ears;  for,  according  to  Napoleon,  they  have  passed  the  grand 
climacteric  of  a  female's  usefulness.  You  remember  what  he 
told  Madam  De  Stael.  "But  my  pen  wanders."  Let  us  get 
back  to  Chicken-feed. 

Pounded    oyster-shells  and   slacked    lime   are   considered 

23 


266  THE     GAME     FOWL. 

excellent ;  and  so  they  are,  as  containing  calcareous  matter  for 
the  shells  of  eggs.  But  crushed  bones  are  as  good  for  this,  and 
better,  for  the  Fowls  will  devour  them  ravenously — and  much 
better  in  another  respect.  Any  one  who  has  undertaken  to  pound 
a  fresh  bone,  must  have  noticed  that  in  three  or  four  slams 
he  almost  hammered  it  into  meat.  In  fact,  it  contains  a  large 
amount  of  marrow,  or  greasy  substance.  Hence,  the  double  ad- 
vantage of  feeding  pounded  bones  to  Hens  in  "  wintry  weather/' 

As  a  general  rule,  April  is  the  best  month  for  Eggs,  and 
December  the  worst.  They  might  be  ranged  in  this  order : 
April,  May,  March,  June,  July,  February,  August,  September, 
January,  October,  November,  December.  Of  course,  this 
arrangement  would  be  much  modified  by  circumstances.  If 
Hens  are  encouraged  to  sit  as  early  and  as  often  as  possible, 
the  products  of  May,  June,  and  July  would  be  much  reduced. 
And  if  many  early  spring  Pullets  are  kept,  the  yield  of 
October,  November,  and  December  will  be  vastly  increased. 

I  enclose  you  not  only  a  good  likeness  of  the  Fowl,  which 
I  promised  you,  but  a  most  excellent  picture.  It  was  done 
by  Dr.  Robert  B.  McCay,  and  is  the  first  Chicken  that  ever 
sat  for  him.  Is  it  not  admirable  ?  You  already  have  a  full 
description  of  the  Fowl,  in  my  last  letter.  The  Doctor  has  given 
him  the  spurs  of  eighteen  months,  instead  of  those  of  seven  or 
eight  months;  but  this  is  the  only  noticeable  error,  and  easily 
corrected.  I  wish  you  could  return  me  the  portrait,  when 
you  have  done  with  it. 

I  fear  from  the  looks  of  my  other  engagements,  that  this 
must  be  the  last  of  my  contributions.  I  regret  sincerely 
that  the  agreeable  task  is  done ;  and  if  I  had  had  more  leisure, 
my  efforts  should  not  only  have  been  better  finished,  but  mere 
numerous.  As  it  is,  you  are  entirely  welcome  to  them.  And 
believe  me;  for  the  present, 

Your  very  tired  and  sleepy  friend, 

DAVID  TAGGART. 


THE     GAME     FOWL.  267 

The  name  "  Gray  Eagle"  in  the  following  letter  of  my  friend 
Taggart,  is  the  local  name  of  a  mongrel  or  mixed  Fowl,  in  this 
vicinity,  partaking  freely  of  the  blood  of  the  Shanghae,  Chitta- 
gong,  and  Malay  varieties.  They  grow  quite  large,  but  like 
the  Chittagong,  which  they  nearly  resemble,  do  not  breed  uni- 
formly in  point  of  colour  : 

DR.  JNO.  J.  KERR  : 

Dear  Sir : — As  I  intend  starting  for  Harrisburg  to-morrow, 
to  join  in  the  work  of  senator-making,  I  find  it  necessary  to 
send  you  a  few  explanatory  lines  this  evening.  My  worthy 
friend,  Dr.  McCay,  promises  to  finish  off  the  pictures,  and 
mail  them  to-morrow,  so  that  you  will  receive  them  on 
Tuesday. 

The  little  half  Jungle,  or  Game  Hen,  has  been  already 
described,  but  I  made  a  small  mistake  in  regard  to  her 
weight.  She  looks  so  very  little  that  I  estimated  her  at  two 
pounds,  whereas,  she  draws  three.  Her  feathers  are  extremely 
short  and  close,  and  her  build  compact  and  solid.  Her  off- 
spring out  of  blooded  Cocks  are  the  best  Game  Chickens  I  ever 
saw.  I  intend  to  cross  her  with  the  "  Sammy  Rusk"  Stag, 
who,  though  only  eight  months  old,  weighs  six  and  a  half 
pounds. 

In  regard  to  the  Chittagongs,  whose  portraits  will  be  sent 
you  in  a  group,  I  have  already  written  pretty  fully.  In  the 
biggest  sense  of  the  word,  they  are  majestic  and  noble-looking 
birds,  and  for  Eggs,  I  will  put  the  brown  Pullet  against  the 
world.  She  has  recovered  from  her  sickness,  and  has  resumed 
laying  with  as  much,  or  more  vigour  than  ever.  The  gray 
Pullet  is  also  laying  remarkably  well,  and  has  been,  since  the 
7th  of  December.  This  I  take  it,  is  good  work  for  winter.  The 
Stag,  seven  and  a  half  months  old,  weighs  nine  and  a  half 
pounds,  and,  but  for  the  hard  service  he  has  undergone  since  his 
urrival  at  puberty,  he  would  have  drawn  considerably  more. 


268  THE     GAME     FOWL. 

He  has  been  running  with  a  dozen  or  more  laying  Pullets, 
The  brown  Pullet,  seven  and  a  half  months  old,  weighs  nearly 
eight  pounds ;  and  the  gray,  less  than  seven  months  old,  draws 
seven  pounds  and  three  ounces. 

The  Gray  Eagle  Stag  I  purchased  from  Miss  Castor,  will 
make  a  rouser.  From  his  marks,  I  take  him  to  be  an  August 
Chicken,  and  he  weighs  already,  (December  12th,)  over  seven 
pounds.  He  has  not  yet  manifested  the  first  symptom  of  vi- 
rility, if  such  a  term  can  be  applied  to  feathered  bipeds. 

Of  some  smooth-legged  Bantams,  he  says,  "  The  German- 
town  Pigmies,  after  which  we  had  so  great  a  race,  are  doing 
amazingly  well,  and  are  much  admired." 


I  have  just  seen  the  portrait  of  my  Chittagong  :  it  is  a  beau- 
tiful picture  and  a  correct  likeness, — with  a  slight  exception  ; 
but  this  can  be  remedied  by  the  engraver.  His  head  and  head- 
gear are  a  trifle  too  large,  but  not  much.  His  comb,  and  wat- 
tles are  really  enormous, — as  large  as  I  ever  saw  them.  My 
friend  has  grouped  the  three  together,  and  it  will  be  necessary 
to  give  them  a  whole  page,  lengthwise.  As  a  work  of  art,  and 
as  excellent  likenesses,  they  are  well  worthy  of  a  place.  Will 
the  pictures, — the  originals  I  mean, — be  of  any  use  to  you  after 
the  book  is  published  ?  If  not,  I  would  like  exceedingly  well  to 
have  those  we  send,  returned.  I  would  like  to  hand  them  down  to 
posterity,  that  my  grandchildren  might  know  what  fine  Chick- 
ens their  grandpappy  raised.  I  think  I  fore-Jiear  some  one,  a 
little  older  than  the  rest,  bragging  that  granddad  once  helped 
a  great  wise  Doctor  write  a  book  about  Chickens  and  such-like, 
and  then  what  a  power  of  family  pride  there  will  be  !  A  Hen 
couchant  and  a  Rooster  rampant  will  be  the  insignia  of  the 
House  of  Taggart.  All  hail  to  the  illustrious  successors  of 
Columella  and  Aldrovandi ! — the  peers  and  compeers  of 


THE     GAME     FOWL.  269 

Rusk,  Link,  Leonard,  and  Palmer  !  *     But  a  truce  to  jesting, 
and  good-by. 

Very  truly  your  friend, 

DAVID  TAGGART. 

*  Famous  Cockers,  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Philadelphia.  The 
first  is  thought  to  keep  the  best  game  in  the  country.  Mr.  Taggart 
purchased  a  very  fine  pair  of  him,  this  winter,  which  he  intends  to 
breed  pure  with  care. — Ej>« 


23* 


270 


CHAPTER  XIV 

THE     CHITTAGONG    FOWL. 

IN  and  around  Philadelphia,  we  have  a  large  Fowl,  to  which 
the  above  name  has  heen  incorrectly  given,  as,  on  further  ac- 
quaintance, it  has  proved  to  be  a  mongrel,  and,  like  most 
mongrels,  comparatively  worthless.  Until  within  a  short  time, 
it  went  under  various  names,  as  Ostrich  Fowl,  the  Turkey 
breed,  the  Big  breed,  the  Booby,  the  Bucks  County  Fowl,  and 
even  the  Malay.  It  is  difficult  to  trace  its  history.  Some  forty 
years  ago,  several  large  Fowls  were  brought  hither  from  differ- 
ent parts  of  China,  the  East  Indies,  and  the  adjacent  isles ; 
subsequently,  and  within  a  few  years,  others  were  added. 
These  all,  except  in  a  few  cases,  have  been  mixed,  and  breed 
indiscriminately ;  and  the  result  is  the  Fowl  to  which,  accord- 
ing to  the  caprice  of  the  people,  the  above  names  have  been 
applied.  It  is  of  all  colours,  from  black  to  white,  frequently 
speckled,  sometimes  red  and  black,  and  again  dun.  When 
bred,  it  will  generally  produce  its  like  in  point  of  size,  but 
rarely  in  point  of  colour,  showing  it,  unquestionably,  to  be  a 
mixture  of  several  original  breeds.  They  are  not  very  good 
layers,  though  their  Eggs  are  very  large  and  rich.  Their  legs 
are  sometimes  lightly  feathered,  not  always,  and  vary  in  colour 
from  yellow  to  a  dark  or  bluish  hue.  I  once  had  a  Pullet  of 
this  kind  which  weighed  eleven  and  a  quarter  pounds ;  the 


THE    CHITTAGONG    FOWL.  271 

usual  weight  for  full  grown  males,  is  from  ten  pounds  and  a 
half  to  twelve  pounds;  females,  from  eight  to  ten  pounds. 
They  are  generally  quite  leggy,  standing  some  twenty-six 
inches  high,  and  the  Hens  twenty-two  inches.  A  first  cross 
with  the  Shanghae  would  make  a  very  large  and  valuable  bird 
for  the  table,  not  for  breeding  from. 

Mr.  Taggart,  of  Northumberland,  Pa.,  is  disposed  to  think 
favourably  of  some  Chittagongs  he  received  from  me,  with  a 
pair  of  Shanghaes.  They  are  all  yet  quite  young.  He  says  : 

"  Of  all  large  breeds,  it  strikes  me  the  Chittagongs  are  most 
prolific.  My  Brown  Pullet  began  to  lay  on  the  19th  of  Octo- 
ber, when  not  much  over  five  months  old.  In  twenty-two 
days  she  laid  eighteen  Eggs,  (or,  I  may  say  nineteen,  for  one 
was  double,)  and  then  began  to  sit.  Her  laying  was  after  this 
fashion :  3,  3, 4,  3,  5.  No  doubt  I  could  have  kept  her  at  it, 
by  changing  her  nest  from  time  to  time.  It  is  extraordinary 
that  a  Pullet  of  her  age  should  lay  lay  so  fast  at  this  time  of 
year.  After  incubating  a  week,  she  grew  very  sick,  and  I  was 
forced  to  break  her  Eggs  and  take  her  off.  When  she  began 
to  lay  she  weighed  six  and  three-quarter  pounds,  now  only  five 
pounds.  But  she  is  recovering. 

"  The  Shanghae  and  the  six-toed  Chittagong  Pullets  are  grow- 
ing finely — the  first  draws  five  and  three-quarters,  the  other 
six  pounds.  But  the  Stags  seem  to  have  'paused,  the  Chitta- 
gong at  eight  and  a  quarter  pounds,  the  ..Shanghae  at  six  and 
three-quarter  pounds — he  has  always  remained  thin.  I  im- 
pute their  present  slow  progress  to  their  hard  service.  Quite 
a  number  of  my  Hens  are  laying,  or  preparing  to  lay,  and  these ' 
two  gentlemen  have  a  monopoly  of  the  business." 

Vide  Mr.  Taggart' s  letters  herein,  for  further  remarks  on 
this  variety. 


272  TEtE    SHAKEBAG    FOWL. 

THE   JAVA  FOWL. 

I  KNOW  not  of  any  person  in  this  country  who  can  boast  of 
having  this  Fowl  in  its  purity.  If  the  descriptions  of  it,  as 
given  by  some,  (Willoughby  among  the  rest,)  be  true,  I  am 
quite  certain  I  have  never  seen  it.  He  describes  it  as  carrying 
its  tail  like  a  Turkey.  A  lady,  in  the  vicinity  of  Philadelphia, 
who  has  had  some  choice  foreign  Poultry  for  the  last  thirty 
years,  has  a  variety  which  she  calls  Java,  but  I  am  unable  to 
discover  any  thing  peculiar  about  them.  They  are  of  almost 
all  colours,  some  feather-legged  and  some  smooth ;  comb  and 
wattles  as  freely  developed  as  in  the  Shanghae  and  Cochin 
China.  Long  Island,  the  head  quarters  of  this  variety,  abounds 
in  a  stout  black  Fowl,  single,  serrated  comb,  and  full  wattles. 
I  presume  that,  until  we  find  a  bird  answering  Willoughby 's 
description,  we  must  be  content  to  call  our  large  black  Fowls, 
Javas.  Those  on  Long  Island  might  weigh,  per  pair,  from  14 
to  16  Ibs.  The  slightest  trace  of  a  top-knot  is  not  to  be  tole- 
rated ;  their  legs  are  black  and  smooth.  They  are  quite  broad 
across  the  rump,  and  have,  on  that  account,  sometimes,  been 
called  "  Saddlebacks."  Their  practical  qualities  are  good. 


THE   SHAKEBAG  FOWL, 

COMMONLY  called  the  Duke  of  Leed's  breed,  is  said  by 
Mowbray  to  be  extinct;  if  so,  it  will  not  be  necessary  to  con- 
sume much  of  the  reader's  time  in  describing  a  Fowl  which  he 
may  never  .see.  As  a  mere  matter  of  history,  we  may  state 
that  the  Duke,  being  an  enthusiastic  Cock-fighter,  was  in  the 
habit  of  bringing  his  Cocks  into  the  Pit  in  a  bag,  against  any 
that  could  be  produced,  and,  when  shaken  out,  from  their  supe- 


THE    JERSEY -BLUE     FOWL.  273 

rior  strength  and  size,  were  found  more  than  a  match  for  any 
competitor,  and  were  subsequently  denominated  Shakebags. 
They  were  supposed  to  be  a  cross  of  the  Malay  and  English 
Game  :  some  think  that  they  arose  merely  from  improving  the 
size  of  the  common  Fowl,  and  not  by  any  foreign  cross.  Mow- 
bray  says,  "The  only  one  I  ever  possessed  was  a  red  one,  in 
1784,  weighing  about  10  Ibs.,  which  was  provided  for  me,  at  the 
price  of  one  guinea,  by  Goff,  the  dealer,  who  then  lived  upon 
Holborn  Hill,  in  London,  and  who,  at  the  end  of  two  years,  re- 
ceived him  back  at  half  a  guinea ;  having  allowed  me,  in  the 
interval,  three  shillings  and  six-pence  each,  for  such  thorough- 
bred Cock-Chickens  as  I  choose  to  send  him.  At  that  time 
(1784)  the  real  Duke  of  Leed's  breed  had  become  very  scarce, 
which  induced  the  dealers  to  put  Shakebag  Cocks  to  Malay 
Hens,  by  that  means  keeping  up  the  original  standard  size, 
but  entirely  ruining  the  colour  and  delicate  flavour  of  the  flesh. 


JERSEY-BLUE  FOWL. 

THE  colour  of  this  variety  is  light  blue,  sometimes  approach- 
ing to  dun ;  the  tail  and  wings  rather  shorter  than  those  of  the 
common  Fowl ;  its  legs  are  of  various  colours,  generally  dark, 
sometimes  lightly  feathered.  Of  superior  specimens,  the  Cocks 
weigh  from  7  to  9  Ibs.,  and  the  Hens  from  6  to  8  Ibs.  They 
are  evidently  mongrels  ;  and,  though  once  a  good  deal  thought 
of,  yet,  since  the  purer  breeds,  as  the  Shanghaes  and  Cochin 
Chinas,  have  been  introduced,  they  begin  to  be  neglected,  as 
indeed  all  mongrels  should  be,  so  far  as  breeding  from  them  is 
concerned. 


274 


CHAPTER  XV. 

THE   POLAND,   OR  POLISH  FOWL. 

THIS  Fowl  is  said  to  be  quite  unknown  in  Poland,  and  that 
it  takes  its  name  from  some  resemblance  having  been  fancied 
between  its  tufted  crest  and  the  square,  spreading  crown  of  the 
feathered  caps  worn  by  the  Polish  soldiers;  The  Hens  I  know 
to  be  among  the  very  best  layers,  though  their  Eggs  are  not 
so  rich  and  highly  flavoured  as  some  others.  They  are  gene- 
rally bad  sitters,  or,  rather,  are  not  disposed  to  sit  until  late 
in  the  season. 

The  best  specimens  are  now  procured  from  Holland;  the 
country  of  the  Bolton  Grays,  Spangled  Harnburghs,  etc.,  etc. 
The  Cock  weighs  about  4  or  4J  Ibs.,  and  the  Hen  about  3  or 
3j  Ibs.  The  crest  of  a  well-bred  Cock  is  parasol-shaped, 
hanging  down  over  his  beak  and  eyes,  surrounded  with  a  few 
black  feathers,  and  fronted  by  a  small  spiked  comb.  The 
fleshy  protuberance,  out  of  which  the  crest  grows,  is  usually 
called  King  'David's  Crown.  The  wattles  are  very  largely 
developed;  the  legs  are  usually  blue;  the  neck,  body,  and 
tail  should  be  black,  and  the  butt  of  the  wing,  brass-marked. 
The  skin  and  flesh  are  white.  Their  form  is  plump  and  deep, 
and  the  legs  not  very  long.  Mowbray  says,  "  The  Polanders 
are  kept  as  ornamental,  but  they  are  also  one  of  the  most 
useful  varieties,  particularly  on  account  of  the  abundance  of 
Eggs  they  lay,  being  least  inclined  to  sit,  of  any  other  breed, 
whence  they  are  sometimes  called  everlasting  layers;  and  it  is 


THE     POLAND,     OR     POLISH     FOWL.  275 

usual  to  set  their  Eggs  under  other  Hens.  They  fatten  as 
quickly  as  any  other  breed,  and  are  in  quality  similar  to  the 
Dorking;  their  flesh  perhaps  more  juicy,  and  of  a  richer 
flavour."  There  is  an  exception  to  almost  every  rule.  I 
once  had  a  choice  Poland  Hen  that  gave  me  more  trouble  in 
breaking  up  the  sitting  fever,  and  that,  too,  early  in  the 
season,  than  any  Henf4I  had.  In  general,  however,  pure 
Polands  are  not  inclined  to  sit  until  near  or  after  midsummer ; 
consequently,  they  lay  more  Eggs  than  those  that  become  early 
broody. 

The  Eggs  of  this  variety  are  of  good  size,  and  white ;  but, 
as  previously  stated,  they  are  not  so  rich  as  some  others ;  the 
yolks  are  of  a  pale  straw-colour,  and  I  have  known  the  albu- 
minous part  often  to  be  quite  watery.  There  is  also  a  strong 
tendency  of  the  white  of  the  crest  to  mingle  with  the  black 
of  the  body,  and  vice  versa.  I  once  saw  some  Fowls,  said  to 
be  pure,  of  the  stock  of  Mr.  Bement,  of  Albany,  of  a  reddish 
hue  all  over,  from  the  yellow  or  brass  marking  on  the  butt  of 
the  wing  mingling  with  the  general  plumage.  The  result  of 
my  experience  is,  that  it  is  very  difficult  to  keep  the  white, 
red,  and  black  in  their  appropriate  places,  in  breeding  pure, 
well-marked  Polish  Fowls;  but,  when  all  are  right,  I  know 
no  more  beautiful  sight  of  the  kind  on  a  gentleman's  lawn — 
they  are  living,  walking  Japonicas. 

Mr.  Dixon,  and  his  correspondents,  will  tell  the  rest  of  the 
story  in  relation  to  Polish  Fowls.  He  says,  "  There  is  no  evi- 
dence that  any  breed  of  Fowls  with  top-knots  was  known  to 
the  ancients ;  but  we  first  meet  with  them  in  the  middle  ages. 
Aldrovandi,  quoted  by  Willughby,  '  in  his  Ornithology  gives 
us  many  kinds,  or  rather  rarities,  of  Hens.  1.  A  common 
Hen,  but  white  and  capped.'  This  is  the  Lark-crested  Barn- 
door Fowl.  But  Aldrovandi  also  gives  two  large  spirited 
figures,  each  occupying  the  whole  of  his  folio  page,  which  he 


276  THE     POLAND,     OR     POLISH     FOWL. 

calls  Padua  Fowls,  but  in  which  we  recognise  what  would  now 
be  called  Polands." 

This  is  his  description : — 

"  There  exist  Cocks  for  the  most  part  larger  than  our  own, 
which  the  common  people  call  Paduan,  even  as  such  Hens  are 
larger  than  our  own  Hens.  We  exhibit  the  likeness  of  the 
male  and  female.  The  male  was  iqpst  beautiful  to  behold, 
highly  decorated  with  five  colours,  namely,  black,  white,  green, 
red,  and  ochre.  For  the  whole  body  was  black.  The  neck 
was  covered  with  very  white  feathers.  But  the  wings  and 
the  back  consisted  partly  of  black,  and  partly  of  green.  The 
tail  likewise  was  of  the  same  colour,  but  the  roots  of  the 
feathers  were  whitish.*  Some  of  the  quill  feathers  (?) 
['  remigibus'~\  were  white  above.  Its  head  was  adorned  with 
a  very  handsome  crest ;  but  the  roots  of  the  crest  were  white. 
A  red  spot  encircled  the  eyes.  The  comb  was  very  small  ; 
the  bill  and  feet  yellowish.  But  in  the  whole  Hen  there  was 
not  the  least  white,  except  that  white  skin  which  is  usual 
about  the  openings  of  the  ears ;  but  she  was  altogether  black, 
shining  with  green.  The  feet  were  light  yellow ;  the  comb 
very  small,  and  scarcely  of  a  red-colour." 

A  difficulty  about  such  varieties,  recorded  so  long  ago,  is  the 
doubt  whether  the  Cock  and  Hen  were  really  of  the  same  breed. 

The  Paduan  Fowl  has  been  continually  mentioned  as  some- 
thing distinct  and  primitive,  by  those  who  have  quoted  Aldro- 
vandi  at  second  hand;  but  we  will,  for  the  present,  discard  the 
term,  and  sweep  the  birds  into  the  class  of  Polands.  Whether 
the  Polish  Fowls  were  really  first  brought  to  us  from  Poland,  I 
cannot  yet  trace;  but  the  fact  is  quite  possible.  Fowls  brought 
alive  from  India  to  Europe  by  overland  journey,  would  suffer 

*  An  abundance  of 'white  down  at  the  root  of  the  tail-feathers  is  a 
great  ornament  in  the  Black  Polish  and  Game  Cocks,  and  a  mark  of 
breeding. 


THE     POLAND,     OR     POLISH    FOWL.  277 

less  than  such  as  were  sent  by  sea  round  the  Cape  of  Good 
Hope.  At  the  end  of  each  day's  journey  they  could  be  let 
loose  immediately  that  the  spot  for  the  night-bivouac  was  fixed 
upon ;  they  would  soon  learn  to  return  at  dusk  to  their  travel- 
ling Hen-house,  and  would  be  well  refreshed  against  the  next 
day's  fatigue.  Nor,  indeed,  is  there  any  reason  why  Fowls 
should  not  permanently  accompany  wandering  and  unsettled 
tribes  of  men,  who  usually  have  other  live-stock  constantly  in 
their  train,  as  well  as  their  wives  and  children.  Mr.  J.  H. 
Drummond  Hay  found  that  the  tent-occupying  Arabs  of 
Western  Barbary  kept  Fowls : — "  Every  family,"  he  says, 
"has  its  brood  of  chickens,  and  these  have  their  roosting 
quarters  in  a  distant  nook  or  compartment  of  the  tent."  In 
Russia,  the  finest  teas  are  received  overland  from  the  East; 
nor  is  it  improbable  that  a  few  Fowls  may  have  been  carried 
as  far  as  the  neighbouring  country  of  Poland,  after  having 
accompanied  some  wealthy  merchant,  as  live-stock  to  be  eaten 
by  the  way  in  case  of  sickness,  or  short  commons.  But 
whether  correct  or  not,  it  would  be  difficult  now  to  alter  their 
nomenclature.  One  of  the  Polish  Fowls  is  supposed,  by  some 
writers,  to  be  descended  from  the  wild  Cock  of  St.  Jago.  The 
assumed  existence  of  such  a  bird  is  founded  on  an  error :  but 
if  the  Cocks  of  St.  Jago  are  any  thing  akin  to  the  goats  which 
Captain  Cook  found  there,  "  of  the  antelope  kind,  so  extra- 
ordinarily lean  that  hardly  any  thing  can  equal  them,"  the 
cross  would  be  no  great  improvement.  But  I  take  it,  that  no 
existing  wild  Gallus  has  any  more  to  do  with  the  formation 
of  our  present  breeds,  than  we  have  shown  that  the  Pheasant 
has.  Mowbray  says,  "  Perhaps  the  genuine  sort  (of  Polish) 
has  always  five  claws ;"  and  he  proceeds  to  derive  "  our  famous 
Dorking  breed"  from  them,  with  the  reservation,  however, 
that  such  a  speculation  may  be  groundless,  which  it  decidedly 
is.  For  the  fifth  toe  vanishes  from  the  Dorkings  at  a  very 
early  stage  of  crossing  with  any  other  breed. 

24 


278  THE    POLAND,     OR    POLISH    FOWL. 

THE  BLACK  POLISH  FOWLS  are  of  a  uniform  black,  both 
Cock  and  Hen,  glossed  with  metallic  green.  The  head  is  or 
namented  with  a  handsome  crest  of  white  feathers,  springing 
from  a  fleshy  protuberance,  and  fronted  more  or  less  deeply  with 
black.  The  comb  is  merely  two  or  three  spikes,  and  the  wat- 
tles are  rather  small.  Both  male  and  female  are  the  same  in 
colour,  except  that  the  Cock  has  frequently  narrow  stripes  of 
white  in  the  waving  feathers  of  the  tail ;  a  sign,  it  is  said,  ot 
true  breeding.  The  Hens  also  have  two  or  three  feathers  on 
each  side  of  the  tail,  tinged  in  the  tip  with  white.  The  Hens 
do  not  lay  quite  so  early  in  the  spring  as  some  varieties,  espe- 
cially after  a  hard  winter ;  but  they  are  exceedingly  good  lay- 
ers, continuing  a  long  time  without  wanting  to  sit,  and  laying 
rather  large,  very  white  sub-ovate  Eggs.  They  will,  however, 
sit  at  length,  and  prove  of  very  diverse  dispositions;  some 
being  excellent  sitters  and  nurses,  others  heedless  and  spiteful. 
The  Chicks,  when  first  hatched,  are  dull  black,  with  white 
breasts,  and  white  down  on  the  front  of  the  head.  They  do 
not  always  grow  and  get  out  of  harm's  way  so  quickly  as  some 
other  sorts,  but  are  not  particularly  tender.  In  rearing  a  brood 
of  these  Fowls,  one  may  observe  some  of  the  Hens  with  crests 
round  and  symmetrical  as  a  ball,  and  others  in  which  the 
feathers  turn  all  ways,  and  fall  loosely  over  the  eyes :  and  in  the 
Cocks,  also,  some  have  the  crest  falling  gracefully  over  the 
back  of  the  head,  and  others  have  the  feathers  turning  about 
and  standing  on  end ;  these  are  to  be  rejected,  the  chief  beauty 
of  the  sort  depending  on  such  little  particulars.  One  Hen 
laid  just  a  hundred  Eggs,  many  of  them  on  consecutive  days, 
before  wanting  to  incubate  ;  after  rearing  a  brood  successfully, 
she  laid  twenty-five  Eggs  before  moulting  in  autumn. 

THE  BLACK-TOPPED  WHITE  POLISH  is  now,  it  seems,  lost 
to  this  country,  if,  indeed,  there  is  any  evidence  of  its  having 
ever  existed  here.  Buffon  mentions  them  as  if  extant  in 
France  in  his  time.  These  and  the  Shackbags  are  probably  re 


THE    POLAND,     OR    POLISH    FOWL.  279 

coverable  only  by  importation  from  Asia.  I  am  given  to  un- 
derstand, that  an  attempt  will  be  made  to  reproduce  them  here 
'by  breeding.  The  experiment  will  be  interesting  either  in  its 
success  or  failure. 

THE  GOLDEN  POLANDS  are  sometimes  called  Gold-spangled, 
their  plumage  approaching  to  that  of  the  Gold-spangled  Ham- 
burghs  ;  but  many  of  the  finest  specimens  have  the  feathers 
merely  fringed  with  a  darker  colour,  and  the  Cocks,  much  more 
frequently  than  the  Hens,  exhibit  a  spotted  or  spangled  ap- 
pearance. Many  of  them  are  disfigured  by  a  muff  or  beard ; 
but  no  such  birds  should  be  allowed  the  entree  of  the  Poultry- 
yard,  but  dispatched  at  once  to  the  fatting-coop. 

It  is  a  question  with  the  curious  whether  the  muff  at  the 
throat  is,  or  is  not,  an  original  appendage  to  these  birds.  The 
earliest  figures  with  which  I  am  acquainted  (Aldrovandi's)  in- 
crease the  difficulty,  by  displaying  a  pair  of  Fowls,  one  with, 
and  one  without  the  muff.  Albin  (1736)  figures  a  Cock  "  of 
a  peculiar  breed,  which  is  brought  from  Hamburgh  by  our 
Merchants,"  with  a  short  top-knot,  a  decided  beard,  and  actual 
whiskers,  "  a  tuft  of  Black  feathers,  which  covered  his  ear." 
The  Irish  fanciers  decide,  that,  in  the  same  clutch  of  Chickens, 
the  produce  of  the  same  parents,  those  which  have  beards  in 
addition  to  their  top-knots  are  to  be  called  Hamburghs;  those 
with  top-knots  only,  Polish.  Others  say,  that  the  beard  comes 
from  a  cross  with  the  Russian  Fowl,  which,  as  near  as  we  can 
ascertain,  is  a  bearded  Dorking.  A  distinct  race,  of  which  the 
muff  is  one  permanent  characteristic,  is  not  at  present  known. 
It  is  a  frightful  appendage,  and  not  easily  got  rid  of,  if  once 
introduced  to  a  Poultry-yard  :  which  makes  me  suspect  either 
that  the  original  Polish  were  beardless,  or  that  there  were  two 
ancient  races. 

The  Golden  Polands,  when  well-bred,  are  exceedingly  hand- 
some ;  the  Cock  having  golden  hackles,  and  gold  and  brown 
feathers  on  the  back ;  breast  and  wings  richly  spotted  with 


280  THE    POLAND,     OR     POLISH    FOWL. 

ochre  and  dark  brown ;  tail  darker ;  large  golden  and  brown 
crest,  falling  back  over  the  neck ;  but  little  comb  and  wattles. 
The  Hen  is  richly  laced  with  dark  brown  or  black  on  an  ochro 
ground ;  dark-spotted  crest ;  legs'  light-blue,  very  cleanly 
made,  and  displaying  a  small  web  between  the  toes,  almost  as 
proportionally  large  as  that  in  some  of  the  waders.  They  are 
good  layers,  and  produce  fair-sized  Eggs.  Many  of  them  make 
excellent  mothers,  although  you  cannot  always  get  them  to  sit 
early  in  the  season.  The  Chicks  are  rather  clumsy-looking 
little  animals,  of  a  dingy  brown,  with  some  dashes  of  ochre 
ab6ut  the  head,  breast,  and^  wings.  They  are  sometimes  a  little 
apt  to  die  in  the  first  week  of  their  existence,  but  afterwards 
get  tolerably  hardy,  although  liable  to  make  a  stand-still  when 
about  half-grown. 

It  has  been  observed  as  a  peculiarity  in  the  temper  of  this 
breed,  that  if  you  catch  one  of  them,  or  if  one  is  attacked  by 
any  animal,  the  rest,  whether  Cocks  or  Hens,  will  instantly 
attack  the  aggressor  with  fury,  and  endeavour  to  rescue  their 
unfortunate  companion. 

THE  SILVER  POLANDS  are  similar  to  the  preceding  in  shape 
and  markings,  except  that  white,  black,  and  gray,  are  ex- 
changed for  ochre  or  yellow,  and  various  shades  of  brown. 
They  are  even  more  delicate  in  their  constitution,  more  liable 
to  remain  "fixed"  at  a  certain  point  of  their  adolescence,  and 
still  more  require  and  will  repay  extra  care  and  accommodation. 
Their  top-knots  are  not  perhaps  in  general  so  large ;  but  they 
retain  the  same  neat  bluish  legs  and  slightly-webbed  feet.  It 
is  curious  that  a  bird  which  is  quite  incapable  of  swimming 
should  have  webs  on  its  feet,  while  the  Gallinule,  which  swims 
and  dives  well,  has  none.  The  Hens  of  the  Silver  Polands 
are  much  more  ornamental  than  the  Cocks ;  though  even  they 
are  sure  to  attract  notice.  They  may  certainly  be  ranked 
among  the  choicest  of  Fowls,  whether  we  consider  their  beauty 
or  their  rarity.  They  lay  moderate-sized,  French-white  Eggs, 


THE    POLAND,    CR    POLISH    FOWL.  281 

much  pointed  at  one  end,  in  tolerable  abundance,  and,  when 
they  sit,  acquit  themselves  respectably. 

The  new-hatched  Chicks  are  very  pretty ;  gray,  with  black 
eyes,  light  lead-coloured  legs,  and  a  swelling  of  down  on  the 
crown  of  the  head,  indicative  of  the  future  top-knot,  which  is 
exactly  the  colour  of  a  powdered  wig,  and  indeed  gives  the 
Chick  the  appearance  of  wearing  one.  They  are  easily  enough 
reared  for  the  first  six  weeks  or  two  months ;  the  critical  time 
with  them  being  the  interval  between  that  age  and  their  reach- 
ing their  fifth  or  six  month.  At  a  very  early  age  they  acquire 
their  peculiar  distinctive  features,  and  are  then  the  most  ele- 
gant little  miniature  Fowls  it  is  possible  to  imagine.  The 
distinction  of  sex  is  not  very  manifest  till  they  are  nearly  full 
grown ;  the  first  observable  indication  being  in  the  tail.  That 
of  the  Pullet  is  carried  uprightly,  as  it  ought  to  be,  but  in  the 
Cockerel  it  remains  depressed,  awaiting  the  growth  of  the 
sickle  feathers.  The  top-knot  in  the  Cockerels  is  more  pendent 
backwards  than  in  the  Pullets.  It  is  remarkable  that  the 
Golden  Polish  Cock  brings  as  true  Silver  Chicks,  and  those 
stronger,  with  the  Silver  Polish  Hen,  as  the  Silver  Polish 
Cock  would. 

The  Silver  Polands  have  all  the  habits  of  their  Golden  com- 
panions ;  the  main  difference  being  the  silvery  ground,  instead 
of  the  golden.  The*  Silver  variety  will  sometimes  even  make 
its  appearance  if  you  breed  merely  the  Golden  sort,  exactly  as 
the  Black  Polish  produce  now  and  then  some  pure  White 
Chicks  that  ma'ke  very  elegant  birds.  An  attempt  has  been 
made  to  obtain  the  black  top-knotted  White  Polish  from  these, 
by  acting  on  the  imagination  of  the  parents.  The  experiment 
failed,  though  similar  schemes  have  been  said  to  succeed  with 
animals ;  it  proved,  however,  one  thing — namely,  that  it  will 
not  do  to  breed  from  the  White  Polish  as  a  separate  breed. 
Being  Albinos,  the  Chicks  come  very  weakly,  and  few  survive. 

24* 


282  THE    POLAND,     OR     POLISH     FOWL. 

On  the  other  hand,  trust  to  chance  for  an  occasional  white  one 
among  the  black,  and  you  get  a  fine  bird. 

There  is  a  singular  variety  of  the  Polish,  which  has  the  en- 
tire plumage  of  a  uniform  slaty-dun  colour.  Other  curious 
combinations  of  colour  are  probably  to  be  found  here  and  there, 
in  the  hands  of  careful  breeders.  One  has  been  lately  raised 
in  which  the  golden-plumage  has  been  crowned  by  a  large 
globe-shaped  white  crest  of  dense  features ;  how  long  this  will 
continue  permanent,  remains  to  be  tested.  There  was  also  a 
breed,  called  after  Lord  Erdley,  which  obtained  a  prize  at  one 
of  the  Poultry-shows  in  the  Zoological  Gardens. 

The  Polish  are  chiefly  suited  for  keeping  in  a  small  way, 
and  in  a  clean  and  grassy  place.  They  are  certainly  not  so 
fit  for  the  yard  of  the  farmer,  becoming  blinded  and  miserable 
with  dirt.  It  is  a  main  point  to  procure  them  genuine,  as  the 
degenerate  things  one  sees  in  towns  are  frequently  palmed  on 
the  buyer  instead  of  the  handsome,  deep-bodied,  short-legged 
variety.  I  have  seen  a  slight  sub-variety,  having  the  crest 
entirely  white,  but  inferior  in  shape  and  beauty.  Indeed 
there  is  no  breed  of  Fowls  more  disfigured  by  mongrelism  than 
this.  The  Polish  will,  without  any  cross-breeding,  occa- 
sionally produce  white  stock  that  are  very  pretty,  and  equally 
good  for  laying,  &c.  It  is  singular,  however,  that  if  you 
attempt  to  make  a  separate  breed  of  them,  they  become  puny 
and  weak.  It  is  better  for  those  who  wish  for  them  to  depend 
upon  chance  :  every  brood  almost  of  the  black  producing  one 
White  Chick,  strong  and  lively  as  the  rest. 

The  Polish  Fowls  are  excellent  for  the  table,  the  flesh  being 
white,  tender,  and  juicy ;  but  they  are  quite  unsuitable  for 
being  reared  in  any  numbers,  or  for  general  purposes :  they 
are  so  capricious  in  their  growth,  frequently  remaining  "stuck," 
as  the  country  people  call  it,  for  a  whole  month,  without  get- 
ting bigger,  and  this  when  about  a  quarter  or  half  grown,  the 
time  of  their  life  when  they  are  most  liable  to  disease.  As 


THE    POLAND,     OR    POLISH    FOWL.  283 

aviary  birds,  they  are  unrivalled  among  Fowls.  Their  plumage 
often  requires  a  close  inspection  to  appreciate  its  elaborate 
beauty;  and  the  confinement  and  petting  seems  less  uncon- 
genial to  their  health.  We  would  recommend  persons  whose 
accommodation  for  Poultry  is  very  limited,  to  select  some 
pretty  family  of  Polanders,  and  keep  them  on  the  aviary  sys- 
tem ;  when  it  will  be  found  that  their  plumage  improves  in 
beauty  with  almost  every  moult. 

But  a  great  merit  of  all  the  Polish  Fowls  is  this :  that  for 
three  or  four  years  they  go  on  growing  and  gaming  in  size, 
hardiness,  and  beauty,  especially  the  male  birds.  This  fact, 
which  any  amateur  can  verify  for  himself  by  observation,  as- 
suredly points  out  a  very  wide  deviation  in  constitution  from 
those  Fowls  which  attain  their  full  stature  and  perfect  plumage 
in  twelve  or  fifteen  months.  The  similarity  of  colouring  in 
the  two  sexes,  almost  a  specific  distinction  of  Polish,  and,  per- 
haps, Spanish  Fowls,  also  separates  them  from  those  breeds,  as 
the  Game,  in  which  the  Cocks  and  Hens  are  remarkably  dis- 
similar. An  additional  recommendation  to  the  Polish  is,  that 
their  edible  qualities  are  as  super-excellent  compared  with 
other  Fowls,  as  their  outward  apparel  is  superior  in  elegance, 
— a  point  which  is  recorded  here  not  from  mere  hearsay ;  al- 
though, to  confirm  it,  Temminck  quotes  Sonnini's  information 
that  the  Polish  Fowls  (les  Coqs  huppes)  are  highly  esteemed 
in  Egypt  for  the  goodness  of  their  flesh ;  and  are  so  abundant 
in  Upper  Egypt  as  to  be  sold  for  2%d.  or  Zd.  each.  At  the 
Cape  of  Good  Hope  this  breed  is  equally  cultivated. 

Polish  Fowls  are  also  currently  reported  as  everlasting  lay- 
ers, which  further  fits  them  for  keeping  in  small  enclosures ; 
but,  as  in  the  Ham  burghs,  individual  exceptions  are  often  met 
"with,  however  truly  the  habit  may  be  ascribed  to  the  race. 
"  I  only  know  of  the  Golden-spangled,  Silver-spangled,  and 
Black  Poland  that  are  everlasting  layers,  though  of  the  Black, 
I  believe  there  are  -two  varieties,  one  smaller  than  the  other. 


284  THE     POLAND,     OR     POLISH    FOWL. 

The  small  ones  are  of  a  purer  black,  with  larger  top-knots,  and 
I  think  I  have  heard  they  are  truer  everlasting  layers  than  the 
large  variety.  Some  of  the  large  ones  have  slight  white  tips 
to  a  few  of  their  feathers.  I  am  altogether  unable  to  point  out 
any  difference  between  the  Polanders '  that  are  everlasting 
layers,  and  those  that  are  not ;  for  I  have  seen  several  that 
apparently  were  pure  bred,  that  were  as  much  inclined  to  sit 
as  any  other  Fowls." — J.  S.  W. 

Both  the  Poland  and  the  Lark-crested  Fowls  are,  in  Nor- 
folk, trivially  called  "  Copplecrowns."* 

Before  taking  leave  of  the  full-sized  Fowls,  it  may  be  ob- 
served that  the  initiated  can  often  distinguish  the  various 
breeds  unseen,  by  their  crow.  A  friend  remarks,  "  there  is 
an  Italian  proverb :  e as  the  old  Cock  crows,  so  crows  the  young;' 
and  indeed  the  voice  may  be  considered  as  a  tolerably  fair 
guide  for  ascertaining  whether  the  different  breeds  of  Domestic 
Fowl  are  genuine  or  not.  Amongst  individual  Cocks  of  the 
same  variety,  there  will,  indeed,  be  frequently  slight  variations 
in  the  tone  of  crowing ;  but  yet,  a  person  having  any  thing  of 
a  correct  ear,  may  easily  trace  the  family  crow  throughout. 
Thus,  the  Game  breeds  -that  I  have  kept,  have  always  rather  a 
a  shrill,  but  not  inharmonious  crow,  with  a  very  peculiar, 

*  In  the  "Tournament  of  Tottenham,  or,  the  Wooing,  Winning, 
and  Wedding  of  Tibbe,  the  Reeve's  daughter  there,"  an  old  bur- 
lesque ballad,  the  Reeve  says  : — 

"Whoso  berys  hym  best  in  the  turnament, 
Hym  schal  be  granted  the  gre  be  the  comon  assent, 
For  to  -wynne  my  dozter  wyth  dughtynesse  of  dent, 
And  '  coppelV  my  brode-henne  that  was  brozt  out  of  Kent : 

And  my  dunnyd  kowe 
For  no  spens  wyl  I  spare, 
For  no  cattell  wyl  I  care, 
He  schall  have  my  gray  mare, 
And  my  spottyd  sowe." 


THE     POLAND,     OR     POLISH    FOWL.  285 

abrupt  termination.  The  Blue  Duns  have  somewhat  the  same 
style  of  crowing,  but  with  a  more  regular  and  gradual  finale. 
Cocks  of  the  Silver  Hamburg  variety  are  generally  even  more 
shrill  than  the  two  last  mentioned,  giving,  however,  a  longer 
finishing  note.  The  Polish  are  not,  I  think,  remarkable  for 
melody  in  crowing;  they  are  harsh-toned,  and  frequently  lack 
that  agreeably  sounding  turn  in  the  crow,  that  you  hear  in  the 
Game  and  Hamburg,  and  others.  The  Spanish,  also,  though 
professing  to  come  from  a  rich  land  in  musical  ability,  are  not 
highly  gifted  with  vocal  powers.  Their  crowing  is  loud,  in- 
deed, and  not  so  very  shrill,  but  squally  and  grating  to  the 
ear.  Some  few  individuals  are  better  and  richer  in  tone,  but 
those  are  the  exceptions  not  the  rule.  The  Malay's  voice  is 
hoarse,  and  not  so  loud  as,  from  the  size  of  the  bird,  might  be 
expected ;  while  that  of  the  noble  Cochin  China  is  deep-toned, 
mellow,  and  prolonged,  like  the  closing  note  of  an  accom- 
plished singer.  Bamtams  are  more  varied  in  their  crowing 
powers  than  any  of  the  breeds  above  mentioned ;  but  one  I 
possessed  some  years  since,  was  so  particularly  musical,  that 
his  crow  sounded  like  two  or  three  bars  of  an  air  whistled  in 
a  mellow  key.  It  has,  I  believe,  been  universally  remarked, 
that  the  Domestic  Cock  always  claps  the  wings  before,  and  the 
Pheasant  after  crowing.  The  Cock,  however,  as  I  have  often 
noticed,  will  frequently  give  another  clapping  after  the  song 
is  ended.  These  birds  must  sleep  very  lightly  and  watchfully, 
as,  the  instant  an  individual,  roosting  separately  and  at  a  dis- 
tance, begins  his  clamour,  the  others  answer,  and  the  concert 
spreads  from  farm  to  farm,  throughout  the  village.  To  hear 
this  natural  alarum-bell  ringing  far  and  wide,  between  ten  and 
twelve  o'clock  on  a  December's  night,  is  singular  enough. 
The  cause  of  these  birds  thus  forestalling  their  morning 
note  of  gratulation,  has  not  yet,  I  think,  been  satisfactorily 
explained. 

"The  growth  of  the  spur  in  the  gallinaceous  order  of  birds 


286  THE    POLAND,     OR    POLISH    FOWL. 

is  often  irregular  and  unaccountable.  Among  Fowls,  especially, 
it  is  a  very  misleading  guide  to  denote  the  age.  You  may  see 
an  old  Hen,  eight  or  twelve  years  of  age,  without  the  slightest 
semblance  of  a  spur;  and  again,  in  a  last  year's  Hen,  you  may 
observe  them  of  some  length ;  and  even  in  a  Pullet  of  the  same 
season,  (as  in  the  case  of  one  of  the  Game  Pullets  you  sent 
me,)  the  spur  is  highly  developed.  The  same  remarks  will 
apply,  though  in  a  less  degree,  to  Cocks  also.  Many  are  the 
persons  who  have  been  thus  wofully  deceived  when  purchasing 
Pheasants  for  the  table;  as  they  afterwards  find  to  their 
annoyance,  when  the  bird  is  undergoing  the  process  of  masti- 
sation."— H.  H. 


287 


CHAPTER   XVI. 

HAMBURGH     FOWLS. 


THE  SPANGLED  HAMBURGH  FOWL. 

THIS  beautiful  variety  is  distinguished  from  other  members 
of  the  same  family,  by  their  large  top-knots  being  coloured 
instead  of  white,  and  the  black  and  conspicuous  muffle  or 
ruff  on  the  throat  and  under  the  beak.  There  are  two  kinds, 
the  golden  and  silver  spangled ;  the  ground  of  the  feathers  of 
the  golden  spangled  being  a  rich  yellow,  approaching  to  an 
orange-red,  with  black  spots  or  spangles.  The  silver  spangled 
differs  from  the  preceding,  by  the  ground  of  the  feathers  being 
a  silvery  white.  The  comb,  as  in  other  highly-crested  Fowls, 
is  quite  small :  the  wattles  are  also  diminutive;  legs  generally 
blue ;  skin  and  flesh  white ;  Eggs  a  moderate  size,  but  abun- 
dant; Chickens  easily  reared.  In  and  about  New  York,  a 
few  years  since,  this  Fowl  abounded — both  the  golden  and  sil- 
ver varieties.  They  may  weigh,  say,  three  and  a  half  pounds, 
for  the  female,  and  from  four  and  a  half  to  five  and  a  half 
for  the  male.  The  Cock  stands  some  twenty  inches  high,  and 
the  Hen  about  eighteen  inches. 


288  HAMBURGH    FOWLS. 


THE  BOLTON  GRAY,  OR  CREOLE  FOWL. 

THE  Bolton  Gray  or  Creole  Fowl  is  sometimes  called 
Dutch  Every-day-layers,  Pencilled  Dutch  Fowl,  Chittaprats,  &c. 
They  were  originally  imported  from  Holland  to  Bolton,  a 
town  in  Lancashire,  England,  whence  they  are  named.  The 
ground  colour  is  pure  white,  minutely  shot  or  touched  with 
black,  except  on  the  neck,  giving  rise  to  the  name  Pencilled 
Fowl,  and  from  the  frequency  of  their  being  brought  over  to 
London,  by  Rotterdam  steamers,  they  are  called  "  Dutch  Pen- 
cilled Fowl,"  or  "  Dutch  Every-day-layers."  A  good  Cock  of 
this  breed  may  weigh  from  four  to  four  and  a  half  pounds, 
and  a  Hen  from  three  to  three  and  a  half  pounds.  I  have 
found  them  good  layers,  but  thought  the  Eggs  to  be  watery 
and  innutritious.  I  wrote  to  a  friend,  who  knows  the  Fowl 
well,  having  kept  the  -variety  for  several  years,  and  his  reply 
is, — "  Of  the  richness  of  Creole  Eggs,  compared  with  those  of 
less  prolific  breeds,  I  am  scarcely  able  to  speak.  Though  I 
have  owned  Creoles  for  a  dozen  years,  I  have  never  made  any 
careful  comparison.  But,  from  analogy,  I  would  infer  that  an 
Egg  would  prove  rich  in  proportion  as  it  was  small,  compared 
with  the  Hen  that  produced  it,  cseteris  paribus.  A  Cow, 
nearly  dry,  generally  gives  much  richer  milk  than  one  that 
yields  abundantly. 

"  The  superiority  of  a  Creole  Hen  does  not  consist  as  much 
in  rapid  as  in  continued  laying.  She  may  not  produce  as 
many  Eggs  in  a  month,  as  some  other  kinds,  but  she  will  lay 
more  months  in  the  year  than  probably  any  other  variety. 
I  have  had  Creoles  seven  or  eight  years  old,  that  never  became 
broody,  and  which  have  laid,  in  that  time,  at  least  six  hun- 
dred Eggs,  in  this  fashion: — First  year,  one  hundred  and 
eighty  or  two  hundred.  Second,  one  hundred  and  fifty. 
Third,  one  hundred  to  one  hundred  and  twenty.  Fourth, 


HAMBURGH    FOWLS.  289 

seventy  or  eighty.  Fifth,  forty  or  fifty.  Sixth,  eighteen  or 
twenty.  Seventh,  almost  total  barrenness.  This  statement 
shows  the  extreme  folly  of  keeping  Hens,  after  the  third,  or 
even  the  second  }Tear.  For,  besides  the  great  falling  off  in 
Eggs,  these  are  apt  to  prove  infertile  when  laid  by  super- 
annuated Hens." 

Mr.  Dixon,  in  writing  on  the  whole  family  of  Hamburgh 
Fowls,  to  which  the  Bolton  Grays  and  so-called  Silver  and 
Golden  Pheasants  belong,  says : — First,  of  the  Bolton  Grays, 
"  The  Hen  has  a  rose  comb,  pure  white  neck  and  breast,  and 
the  rest  of  the  body  most  exquisitely  pencilled  with  bluish  slate- 
colour  and  white,  legs  light  blue.  The  Cock  has  the  back  and 
neck  greyish  white;  breast  and  wings  slightly  spotted,  tail 
nearly  black,  fine  double  comb.  These  Fowls  are  the  most 
perfect  patterns  of  neatness  in  make,  and  are  under  the  ave- 
rage size.  They  are  excellent  layers,  and  pretty  fair  mothers; 
Eggs  rather  small,  French-white,  and  slightly  tapering  at  one 
end.  The  Chicks  are  white,  except  a  dark  streak  on  the  head, 
and  down  the  nape  of  the  neck — a  curious  fact,  as,  when  adult, 
this  is  the  only  part  without  dark  markings.  When  their 
little  barred  wings  begin  to  appear,  they  are  very  pretty ;  but 
are  certainly  rather  difficult  to  rear,  many  of  those  I  have  had 
dying  off  when  a  quarter  grown,  from  some  cause,  the  only 
symptom  being  the  skin's  turning  black. 

"  There  is  also  a  spurious  breed  of  this  variety  sold  in  towns, 
that  are  larger,  but  by  no  means  so  neatly  made ;  the  necks 
mixed  with  specks,  and  the  slate  and  white  markings  confused 
on  the  body.  They  are  beautifully  distinct  in  the  true  sort. 
We  have  found  the  Creoles  very  good  eating." — H.  H. 

In  the  neighbourhood  of  Keighley,  in  Yorkshire,  on  the  bor- 
ders of  Lancashire,  the  Bolton  Grays  are  called  "  Chittiprats," 
or  "  Cheteprats.''"  Prizes  are  given  for  the  best  by  the  Keighley 
Agricultural  Society,  and  the  opinion  of  them  current  there, 
is,  that  they  are  very  handsome,  very  hardy,  and  excellent 

25 


290  HAMBURGH     FOWLS. 

layers.  In  other  parts  of  the  kingdom,  they  are  known  by  the 
trivial  name  of  "Narrowers." 

Prince  Albert's  breed,  so  named  by  Mr.  Smith,  formerly  of 
the  Hippodrome,  near  London,  are  Bolton  Grays,  that  are 
said  to  be  crossed  with  a  dash  of  G-ame  blood,  to  improve  their 
form.  They  are  not  to  be  distinguished  from  the  Silver 
Spangled  Hamburghs. 

We  take  the  liberty  of  extracting  another  account  of  them, 
from  the  Agricultural  Gazette,  for  Oct.  14,  1848: — 

"  The  Silver  (Hamburgh)  Fowls  are  worthy  of  notice,  both 
on  account  of  their  beauty  and  productiveness;  they  are  small- 
bodied,  have  short  blue  legs,  a  very  pretty  head,  with  a  full 
comb,  and  a  remarkably  short  bill,  rounded,  and  shaped  some- 
what like  a  sparrow's;  their  colour  white,  with  very  regular 
black  dots  or  moons  on  their  wings  and  tail.  They  lay  well ; 
mine  commenced  early  in  February,  and  are  laying  now, 
(Oct.  3;)  they  do  not  show  any  inclination  to  sit;  but  in  a 
hatch,  their  Eggs  are  very  productive.  I  have  had  fourteen 
Chicks  out  of  fifteen  Eggs.  It  is  necessary  to  keep  a  Game 
Hen  or  two,  to  perpetuate  the  breed,  (by  hatching  the  Eggs, 
which  they  will  not  often  do  for  themselves.)  I  find  rice,  at 
12s.  to  14s.  per  cwt.,  soaked  all  night  in  water,  and  then  rolled 
in  Indian  meal,  a  very  economical  and  fattening  food,  occa- 
sionally mixed  with  a  little  barley.  My  Hens  would  have 
commenced  laying  earlier  in  the  season,  if  their  roosting-place 
had  been  warmer." — W.  X. 

Aldrovandi's  account  of  his  Turkish  Fowls,  is  as  follows : — 
"  On  the  Turkish  Cock,  and  two  Turkish  Hens.  The  Cock, 
whose  likeness  we  now  give,  is  called  the  Turkish  Cock.  His 
whole  body  was,  in  a  manner,  inclined  to  white.  Still,  the 
wing  feathers  were  partly  black,  the  belly  also  was  black  ;* 

*  Had  I  been  aware  that  your  mind  was  not  quite  made  up  as  to 
the  identity  of  the  Bolton  Grays  with  the  Silver  Hamburghs,  I  would 


HAMBURGH     FOWLS.  291 

the  tail  consisted  of  feathers  that  were  partly  green,  partly 
black,  some  also  half-green,  some  half-black.  His  whole  Kody 
was  exquisitely  adorned  with  lines,  that  were  sometimes  golden, 
and  sometimes  silver,  Und  it  is  wonderful  what  a  beautiful 
offect  this  produced.  His  legs  and  feet  were  tinged  with  blue. 
The  Hen,  which,  in  like  manner,  was  called  Turkish,  was  all 
white,  sprinkled  over  with  black  spots ;  the  feet  tinged  with 
blue  :  the  wattles  were  short,  when  compared  with  those  of 
the  male.  The  next  Hen  would  seem  the  same,  except  that 
her  neck  was  yellowish,  and  she  had  a  sharp  point  on  the  top 
of  her  head,  her  feet  altogether  blue,  and  an  immaculate  tail. 

"  I  have  observed  another  Hen  of  this  kind,  whose  feet  were 
entirely  blue,  spotted  in  the  same  manner  as  the  foregoing, 
with  black  and  white;  but  behind  its  fleshy  crest,  it  had 
another  of  white  feathers,  like  a  Lark,  and  that  part  of  the 
neck  and  shoulders,  which  in  the  other  is  black,  in  this  changing 
from  ash-colour  to  dirty  yellow." 

It  is  a  pity  the  description  is  not  more  precise.  It  ts  not 
clear  whether  the  gold  and  silver  lines  are  intended  to  be  in 
the  same  or  different  birds.  The  reader  may  question  the  cor- 
rectness of  my  translation  '}  but  Aldrovandi's  large  wood-cuts 
remove  all  doubt  as  to  the  variety  intended.  The  figures  given 
are  evidently  the  Hamburghs,  the  Hens,  one  Grolden  and  one 
Silver.  The  very  peculiar  form  of  the  comb,  so  recognisable 
at  the  present  time,  is  clearly  marked  in  these  old  wood-cuts. 
The  fleshy  rose  comb  of  the  Hamburghs  terminating  in  a  sharp 
point  behind,  like  the  corner  of  a  cocked  hat  turning  upwards, 
and  which  is  seen  in  no  other  variety  of  Fowl,  is  well  described 
by  "apicem  in  vtrtice  gerit."  The  smaller,  and  occasionally 
more  semicircular  comb  of  the  Silver  Hamburgh  Hens,  is  well 
delineated  in  the  Turkish  Hen. 

have  written  to  Mr.  M.  to  look  out  for  a  white-breasted  Cock,  but  I 
begged  him  to  send  you  a  black-breasted  one,  if  possible. — J.  S.  W. 


292  HAMBURGH     FOWLS. 

Bolton  Bay  is  another  provincial  term  for  the  Golden  Hani- 
burgh,  as  Bolton  Gray  is  for  the  Silver.  In  order  clearly  to  fix 
the  momenclature,  by  the  comparison  of  individual  specimens 
of  different  localities,  I  purchased  in  H^ngerfbrd  market,  some 
birds  that  had  been  imported  from  Holland,  another  specimen 
of  Herring  in  the  New  Road,  and  lately  have  been  kindly  sup- 
plied with  a  pair  of  Bays,  and  also  of  Grays,  from  Bolton,  in 
Lancashire,  and  also  with  a  Creole  Hen  from  Wiltshire.  The 
result  of  the  comparison,  and  of  the  unanimous  opinion  of  the 
London  Poulterers,  is,  that  the  varieties  of  Hamburgh,  two 
Golden  and  two  Silver,  include  all  these  synonyms.  The  Bol- 
ton Bay  from  Lancashire,  differed  most  in  her  markings  from 
the  normal  type,  which  we  will  suppose  represented  by  Aldro- 
vandi's  Turkish  Hen ;  but  all  the  main  points  were  correct, 
and  for  this  difference  I  had  been  prepared.  "  When  you  re- 
ceive your  Boltons,  be  sure  that  you  do  not  draw  any  conclu- 
sions from  their  colour  alonej  for  that  is  extremely  varied. 
Many  -are  quite  as  handsomely  marked  as  the  Spangled  Poland 
or  the  Pheasant  Malay."  The  Bay  Hen  I  received,  was  marked 
very  like  a  Golden  Poland,  (the  crest,  of  course,  being  quite 
absent,)  but  that  the  ground  of  the  plumage  was  of  much  richer 
and  browner  hue.  Those  persons,  therefore,  who  wish  to  pro* 
cure  Hamburgh  Fowls  from  Lancashire,  should  be  precise  in 
their  instructions,  according  to  the  description  shortly  to  be 
given.  The  Bolton  Fowls  average  in  that  town  3s.  each,  which 
is  cheap  for  those  who  wish  to  obtain  a  stock  of  any  of  these 
very  distinct  varieties.  All  the  birds  that  I  received  were 
very  good  specimens.  The  male  Golden  Hamburgh  is  a  par- 
ticularly beautiful  creature }  nothing  but  a  full-sized  coloured 
drawing  can  give  an  adequate  idea  of  the  extremely  rich  colour- 
ing and  brilliant  lustre  of  his  plumage.  It  has  been  men- 
tioned in  the  previous  note,  that  the  males  of  the  Bolton  Grays 
differ  somewhat  in  the  quantity  of  black,  or  dark  gray  which 
they  wear,  as  also  do  those  of  the  Silver  Spangled.  The  Hens, 


H  A  M  B  U  K  G    F  0  W  L  S  . 


HAMBURGH    FOWLS.  293 

too,  vary  slightly,  but  the  difference  is  hardly  more  than  would 
be  seen  amongst  a  brood  of  Chickens  reared  from  the  same 
pair  of  Fowls.  The  Creole  from  the  south  of  England  was  a 
very  well-bred  specimen,  having  the  peculiar  comb,  pointed 
behind,  described  and  figured  by  Aldrovandi. 

A  Golden  Spangled  Hamburgh  Cock,  from  Lancashire,  of 
the  sub-variety,  there  called  "  Moss  Fowl,"  has  a  large  very 
double  comb,  pointed  behind  upwards,  flat  on  the  top,  but  co- 
vered with  small  upright  points ;  the  wattles  are  large,  and  there 
is  a  small  white  ear-patch.  The  bill  is  short  and  lead-coloured; 
feet  and  legs  also  lead-coloured.  Irides,  orange-brown.  The 
hackle  is  composed  of  a  mixture  of  brown,  black,  yellow,  and 
green;  back  the  same,  only  darker.  Tail,  black,  glossed  with 
green,  and  having  gray  down  at  the  base  of  the  feathers. 
Quills  of  the  wings,  chesnut;  wing  coverts,  metallic  black; 
breast,  and  under  part  of  the  body,  black. 

The  Hamburghs  are  commonly  set  down  as  everlasting  lay- 
ers. But  no  strictly  universal  rule,  that  will  apply  without 
fail  to  every  case,  can  be  laid  down  for  Fowls,  any  more  than 
for  men.  Here,  however,  is  decided  evidence  : — "  I  have  suffi- 
cient experience  of  the  Bolton  Fowls  myself,  to  enable  me  to 
,say  that  they  are  everlasting  layers,  when  pure  bred.  My 
father  had  some  very  handsome  Fowls,  a  cross  between  them 
and  a  large  Poland  Hen,  that  was  slightly  inclined  to  sit.  I  can 
recommend  this  cross  to  the  notice  of  those  who  wish  a  larger 
breed  than  the  Bolton.  By  retaining  those  with  the  largest 
top-knots,  a  variety  with  large  top-knots  could  soon  be  ob- 
tained. (Yes,  but  could  it  be  retained  ?)  Some  of  the  Bol- 
ton Gray  Cocks  have  black  tails  and  breasts,  and  others  have 
the  breasts  mottled  black  and  white :  when  these  also  have 
cream-coloured  hackles,  I  think  them  very  handsome.  As  to 
the  occasional  variation  in  the  comb,  I  incline  to  the  opinion 
that  Hens  more  frequently  come  single-combed  than  Cocks, 
in  breedf  like  the  Hamburgh  and  the  Malay." — J.  S.  W. 

25* 


294 


HAMBURGH    FOWLS. 


The  Hamburgh  Fowls  are,  beyond  all  other  breeds,  especial 
favourites  in  the  Midland  and  Northern  Counties;  they  are 
zealously  cultivated  there  in  all  their  sub- varieties  ;  and  a  visit 
to  the  great  Birmingham  show,  having  afforded  a  good  oppor- 
tunity of  comparing  their  markings  and  nomenclature,  a  sort 
of  family  tree  of  the  breed  is  given  for  the  guidance  of  distant 
Fanciers.  We  comprise  the  whole  race  under  the  denomina- 
tion of 

HAMBURGHS. 


PEXCILLEI 

WITH  LIGH 

tha 

>  FOWLS, 

r   H  \CKLE 

SPANGLI 

TOTfPCT      TtAUl 

D  FOWLS, 

CEB    HACKLE, 

t  is,                                                             Via 

If 
t,  I    Clear  unmixed 
0  J    Ochrey  Yellow. 

i      Either  White    "|       f  Yellow  hackle, 
hacklf,  striped  in  1  h  J      striped  in  the 
the  centre  with    f  c  j  ceutrewith  Black, 
Black,           J        [  Brown,  or  Green. 

Chittaprat. 

Bolton  Bays. 

Silver  Spangled. 

Gold  Spangled. 

Bolton  Grays. 

Golden       Ham- 

"     Pheasant. 

"    Pheasant. 

Pencilled  Dutch. 

burgh. 

"      Moonies. 

"    Moonies. 

Silver  Hamburgh. 

"      Moss. 

Red  Caps. 

Creole,  or  Coral. 

Copper  Moss. 

KB.  The  Adult 

Cocks     have      in 

some  families  pure 

white  hackle. 

The  terms  "Silver  and  Gold  Pheasant"  are  admitted  into  this 
list,  simply  to  point  out  what  they  are  not:  the  sooner  they 
are  discarded,  the  better.  Mr.  James  Bissell,  of  Bradford 
Street,  Birmingham,  an  enthusiastic  and  able  amateur,  thus 
gives  his  opinion  :  — 

"  I  like  very  much  your  forming  the  Moonies,  Moss  Fowl, 
Chittaprats,  and  Bolton  Bays,  into  one  family  of  Hamburghs, 
and  think  you  will,  with  a  careful  specification  of  the  sub- 
varieties,  for  ever  set  this  point  in  dispute  at  rest.  I  can  see 
no  objection  (except  old  associations)  why  the  term  'Pheasant' 
should  not  at  once  be  abandoned  in  both  the  Silver  and 
Golden  varieties ;  it  has  doubtless  given  rise  to  much  that  is 


HAMBURGH     FOWLS.  295 

equivocal  and  often  false.  [We  have  had  Fowls  sent  us  from 
long  distances  to  convince  us  of  the  amalgamation  of  Phasianic 
with  Gallic  blood,  when,  la!  the  specimens,  on  jumping  out 
of  their  hamper,  were  very  handsome  "  Moss  Fowls/']  But  the 
Fowl  known  in  this  neighbourhood  and  in  the  Northern  Coun- 
ties under  that  term,  of  both  colours,  Silver  and  Golden,  I  be- 
lieve to  be  as  permanent  as  any  variety  we  have,  and  their 
qualifications  equal,  if  not  superior  to  any  Fowl  I  have  ever  met 
with;  therefore  I  am  anxious  that  they  should  be  as  accu- 
rately described  as  the  Bolton  Bays  and  Bolton  Grays,  for  I  can 
assure  you  that  in  the  Midland  Counties,  and  northwards,  they 
have  been,  and  still  are,  more  extensively  kept  and  more  highly 
prized  than  all  the  other  varieties  of  fancy  Fowl  put  together; 
and  almost  universally  has  there  been  the  inquiry  why  they 
have  not  found  a  place  in  the  classification  of  Domestic  Poultry 
by  the  various  writers  upon  the  subject. 

"  You  appear  to  have  thought  that  the  name  of  Moonies 
was  attached  to  the  Silver  ram-Pheasants  only,  and  that  of 
Moss  to  the  Golden  ??on-Pheasants  only,  whereas  both  these 
names  are  applied  to  either  variety ;  as,  for  example,  the  same 
birds  are  called  Silver  Moss  and  Silver  Moonies,  and  if  the 
colour  be  golden,  they  are  called  Copper  Moss  and  Golden 
Moonies — the  terms  Moss  and  Moonies  being  synonymous,  and 
as  applicable  to  the  Silver  as  the  Golden-spangled  variety. 
There  can  be  but  one  opinion  as  to  dividing  them  into  the  two 
distinct  varieties  of  colour,  viz.,  Golden  Hamburghs  and  Silver 
Hamburghs,  and  we  shall  find  the  characteristics  of  the  Ham- 
burgh breeds,  whereby  we  distinguish  them  from .  all  other 
varieties,  as  uniform  and  true  of  the  one  colour  as  the 
other,  and  will  always  be  distinct  and  apparent  in  the  sub- 
varieties. 

"  All  Hamburghs  must  possess  a  very  neat,  florid  rose  or 
double  comb,  not  too  large  and  bulky,  which  terminates  in  a 
fine  upward-tending  point  at  the  back  of  the  head,  which 


296  HAMBURGH     FOWLS. 

gives  an  exquisite  finish  to  their  appearance,  pure  white  deaf- 
ears,  or  ear-lobes,  and  light  slaty-coloured  blue  legs.  With- 
out the  whole  of  the  above  characteristics,  I  should  deem  them 
impure,  and  not  worth  breeding  from ;  and  I  consider  these 
three  qualities  indispensable  in  the  genuine  Humburgh  Fowl. 
I  think  we  should  avoid  splitting  them  into  too  many  sub- 
varieties,  and  beg  to  submit  this  simple  mode  of  doing  so 
under  each  variety  of  colour.  Two  sub-varieties  of  this  Fowl 
will  be  clearly  identified  under  the  definitions  of  Pencilled  and 
Spangled  Hamburghs,  and  will  embrace  all  the  specimens  I 
have  yet  seen  or  heard  of;  thus,  in  the  Chittaprats  and  Bolton 
Bays  we  have  the  Pencilled  Hamburghs,  in  the  Moss  and 
Moonies  we  have  the  Spangled  Hamburghs.  The  marking 
and  characteristics  of  each  sort  I  will  now  describe. 

"Silver  Pencilled  Hamburghs  are  about  the  size  of  ordinary 
Game  Fowl,  and,  when  quite  pure,  are  (with  the  other  varie- 
ties of  Hamburgh  Fowl)  the  most  prolific  layers  we  have. 
Their  ground  colour  is  pure  white;  the  Cock  has  very  little 
black  upon  him  at  all;  the  whole  of  the  neck  and  saddle 
hackles,  breast,  and  back  purely  white,  and  not  (as  in  some 
specimens  that  have  been  shown  as  genuine  birds)  marked  or 
pencilled  upon  the  breast.  This  defect  will  always  produce 
imperfect  birds.  The  only  parts  that  should  have  any  black 
upon  them  are  the  wings  and  tail ;  the  former  should  be  barred 
across  with  black,  and  the  latter  should  be  black,  with  the 
feathers  edged  with  white,  gradually  blended  into  the  black. 
The  Hen  should  have  a  pure  white  neck ;  and  spots  of  black 
upon  the  hackles  very  much  detract  from  the  purity  and 
beauty  of  the  Fowl,  and  should  therefore  be  strictly  guarded 
against  and  rejected.  The  whole  of  the  body,  wings,  and  tail 
should  be  delicately  but  distinctly  pencilled  with  clear  black 
upon  a  clear  white  ground ;  and  there  are  in  general  about 
five  such  distinct  pencillings  or  bars  across  each  feather  upon 
the  body,  the  extremes  being  marked  the  most  distinctly.  The 


HAMBURGH    FOWLS.  297 

flight-feathers  of  the  wings,  and  the  tail-feathers  should  be 
barred  all  the  way  up  them. 

"Golden  Pencilled  Hamburghs  are  in  all  respects,  except  the 
ground  colour,  the  same  as  the  Silver  Pencilled  Hamburgh. 
It  is  a  qualification  that  we  should  be  very  tenacious  about, 
that  the  Pencilled  Hamburgh  Cock,  either  Golden  or  Silver, 
should  not  have  any  marking  of  black  upon  him,  except  upon 
his  wings;  for  if  he  has,  we  shall  be  disappointed  in  his 
progeny,  as  he  will  evidently  produce  spurious  birds. 

"Silver  Spangled  Hamburglis. — These,  in  their  general  form 
and  carriage,  very  closely  resemble  the  Silver  Pencilled,  of 
which  they  are  a  sub-variety,  their  size  being  in  general  a 
little  larger.  The  ground  colour  of  the  Cock  is  clear  white, 
beautifully  spangled  with  one  spot  or  spangle  of  clear  black 
upon  each  feather,  which  is  more  distinct  and  beautiful  upon 
the  breast  than  on  any  other  part  of  him.  The  hackles  of 
the  neck  and  saddle  are  striped  down  the  centre  with  black, 
and  clearly  marginated  with  white,  the  tail-feathers  mottled 
with  black  and  white,  the  black  preponderating;  the  comb 
double,  and  pointing  upwards  at  the  back  of  the  head,  but  not 
too  large  and  ponderous ;  ear-lobes  quite  white,  and  the  Hgs 
of  a  4uiet  light-blue  colour. 

"  The  Hen  of  this  beautiful  variety  is  one  of  the  most  splendid 
and  attractive-looking  birds  of  her  species,  being  regularly 
spotted  or  spangled  with  one  spot  or  spangle  only  of  clear  black 
upon  each  clear  white  feather,  all  over  her  body,  from  her 
head  to  the  end  or  tip  of  her  tail ;  and  here  I  would  observe, 
that  the  distinctive  marks  of  difference  between  the  Silver 
Pencilled  Hamburgh  Hens  are  these  (they  also  apply  to  tho 
Golden  variety) :  the  hackles  of  the  Silver  Pencilled  Ham- 
burghs  are  purely  white,  while  the  hackles  of  the  Silver  Span- 
gled Hamburghs  are  regularly  and  distinctly  marked  with 
black  ;  the  other  distinction  is,  that  the  Pencilled  Hamburghs 
have  five  or  six  bars  or  pencillings  across  each  feather  of  the 


298  HAMBURGH    FOWLS. 

body,  while  the  Spangled  Hamburghs  have  only  one  distinct 
spot  or  spangle  upon  each  of  their  feathers. 

"  Some  of 'the  purest  and  best  bred  of  the  Spangled  variety 
produce  Cocks  which,  when  adult,  have  purely  white  hackles 
on  the  neck  and  saddle,  but  which,  while  Chickens  in  their 
first  feather,  have  all  the  feathers  of  the  neck  and  saddle 
slightly  spangled  with  black,  but  their  adult  hackles  come 
pure  white.  [We  have  known  Chickens  of  this  breed  pass 
through  changes  of  colour  much  rese'mbling  those  of  young 
Guinea  Fowl.] 

"  The  Golden  Spangled  Hamburghs  differ  in  nothing  except 
the  ground  colour  of  the  body  from  the  Silver  Spangled. 
While  it  is  expedient  to  abandon  their  provincial  names,  I 
cannot  too  strongly  urge  the  necessity  of  attaching  a  proper 
importance  to  this  variety  of  Domestic  Poultry.  They  are 
beautiful  looking  Fowls,  excellent  layers,  and  although  not  so 
large,  are  as  good  a  table  Fowl,  in  quality  and  juiciness  of 
flesh,  as  the  Dorking,  and  come  quite  as  early  to  maturity." 

The  Red  Caps  in  our  list  are  a  family  of  the  breed,  with 
their  combs  somewhat  more  developed  than  would  be  con- 
s^ered  as  a  model  in  Mr.  Bissell's  valuable  communication. 
The  Silver  Pencilled  may  fairly  be  called  a  tender  breedr;  but 
they  will  well  repay  a  little  extra  care  and  attention,  which 
indeed  they  may  be  said  absolutely  to  require.  Like  the 
Bantams,  they  will  occasionally  produce  single-combed  Chicks ; 
such  are  considered  as  aberrant,  ill-bred,  and  to  be  rejected. 
Aldrovandi  has  figured  a  single-combed  Hen  as  one  of  his 
Turkish  Fowls. 


299 


.       CHAPTER  XVII. 

THE    RUMPLESS     FOWL,     OR    RUMKIN. 

BLAINE,  in  his  Encyclopaedia  of  Rural  Sports,  (London, 
1840,)  says,  "  Of  the  feathered  tribes  of  Ceylon,  the  most  re- 
markable is  the  tailless  Cock,  ( Gallus  ecaudatus,  Temm.  fig. 
25,)  at  present,  we  believe,  only  known  in  its  wild  state  in  the 
forests,"  &c.  It  may  appear  too  skeptical  in  us  to  question 
whether  it  be  now  to  be  found  wild  in  the  forests  of  Ceylon,* 

*  It  is  hardly  possible  to  cavil  at  Temminck's  evidence  of  its  ex- 
istence there.  In  reply  to  Buffon's  fairy  tale  that  Cocks,  when  trans- 
ported to  Virginia,  lose  that  portion  of  their  person  on  which  the  tail 
grows — a  romance  that  seems  to  have  imposed  on  the  sober  Doctor 
Latham — he  says,  "We  can  positively  state  that  Buffon's  opinion 
has  not  been  confirmed  ;  this  Rumpless  Cock  was  not  originated  in 
the  New  World,  since  the  primitive  species  inhabits  the  Island  of 
Ceylon  ;  the  Hen  makes  her  nest  on  the  ground ;  it  is  rudely  con- 
structed with  fine  grass,  and  resembles  the  nest  of  Partridges.  The 
disposition  of  this  bird  is  wild  ;  the  Cock  frequently  utters  his  crow, 
which,  though  less  sonorous  than  that  of  our  Domestic  Cocks,  has 
still  the  same  cadence.  The  Cingalese  designate  this  species  by  the 
name  of  Wallikikili,  which  means,  Cock  of  the  Woods.  The  distinct- 
ive characters  of  this  species  consist  in  the  want  of  the  last  vertebra 
of  the  back,  on  which  grows  the  carnosity  that  we  term  '  rump  :' 
the  absence  of  this  vertebra  is  the  natural  cause  that  Cocks  and 
Hens  of  this  species  are  without  the  caudal  feathers,  as  well  as  all 
the  coverts,  which  in  other  birds  are  planted  on  the  rump ;  this  species 


300  THE     RUMPLESS     FOWL. 

but  it  certainly  has  been  extant  in  Europe  for  the  last  two  or 
three  hundred  years.  In  the  spring  of  1848,  a  pair  of  very 
good  specimens,  with  brown  and  white  plumage,  were  exhibited 
at  the  Surrey  Zoological  Gardens,  and  labelled  as  "  from 
Persia."  Twenty  or  thirty  years  ago,  when  weavers  and  other 
artificers  took  more  delight  in  tulip-beds,  stages  of  auriculas, 
and  Fancy  Fowls  and  Pigeons,  than  in  the  Physical  v.  Moral 
Force  Question,  I  have  frequently  seen  gray-plumaged  Runi- 
kins,  as  well  as  Frizzled  Fowls  and  other  curiosities,  walking 
about  the  streets,  and  "  plains/'  and  churchyards  of  Norwich. 
Those  sources  of  amusement  are  now  much  neglected.  But 
if  the  Rumkin  be  really  a  remnant  of  the  original  Fauna  of 
Ceylon,  it  will  be  a  pity  if  it  be  suffered  to  become  extinct, 
although  it  be  one  of  Blumenbach's  defective  monsters,  (mon- 


is  also  distinguished  from  the  other  Cocks  that  we  have  described,  by 
having  his  comb  round,  and  without  indentations."  [He  then  mi- 
nutely describes  the  plumage.]  "  I  am  unacquainted  with  the  colours 
of  the  primitive  female  of  this  rare  species,  the  Governor  of  Ceylon 
to  whom  I  am  indebted  for  information  respecting  this  wild  Cock, 
having  sent  me  only  a  very  old  male,  and  a  second  individual,  male 
also,  at  the  stage  when  the  comb  and  wattles  begin  to  show  them- 
selves :  an  adult  male  is  deposited  in  the  cabinet  of  Mr.  Raye  de 
Breukelerwaert,  at  Amsterdam.  These  three  individuals  have  the 
same  distinctive  characters,  and  the  colour  of  their  plumage  abso- 
lutely correspond.  The  different  domestic  races  of  this  species  are 
distinguished  by  different  coloured  plumage  ;  most  of  the  Cocks  have 
indented  combs  like  those  of  our  village  Cocks  ;  others  have  also  the 
double  comb.  I  have  not  yet  met  with  one  having  a  smooth  comb, 
and  without  indentations  ;  this  last  race,  if  it  exist,  would  be  that 
which  retains  most  of  the  source,  or  first  type.  It  is  scarcely  pos- 
sible to  furnish  particulars  of  the  origin  of  the  domesticity  of  the 
Rumpless  Cocks  ;  the  date  of  it,  nevertheless,  ought  to  be  more  re- 
cent than  that  of  the  other  species  which  have  produced  the  village 
Cocks  ;  but  inquiries  on  this  subject  cannot  be  established  by  proofs  : 
they  lose  themselves  in  the  night  of  time." 


THE    RUMPLESS    FOWL.  301' 

stra  per  defectum.)  It  is  curious  that  another  island  under 
the  British  rule  should  furnish  a  quadruped  similarly  defective. 
Manx  Cats  are  well  known  for  the  peculiarity  of  having  no 
tail.  They  are  still  to  be  met  with  now  and  then ,  but  the 
native  race,  or  species  of  Pigs,  which  were  wild  in  the  moun- 
tains a  hundred  years  ago,  appear  now  to  be  quite  extermi- 
nated from  the  Isle  of  Man.  Insular  tribes  of  animals  have 
but  little  chance  of  suvivorship,  as  human  population  in- 
creases. In  New  Zealand,  the  wingless  bird — another  de- 
fective monster — appears  to  be  now  a  fast- vanishing  apparition 
from  the  face  of  the  earth. 

I  have  found  no  mention  of  the  Rumpless  Fowl  in  classical 
authors,  but  Aldrovandi  was  aware  of  its  existence  : — 

"  The  Cock  which  they  call  the  Persian,  and  which  we  have 
here  figured,  differs  from  our  own  sorts  mainly  in  having  no 
tail ;  in  other  respects,  it  is  very  like  them.  The  Cock,  how- 
ever, has  a  sort  of  tail.  It  was  all  black,  sprinkled  with  yel- 
low lines :  the  first  quill-feathers  were  white,  the  rest  black ; 
the  feet  ashy  :  the  Hen  was  like  .our  own  in  respect  to  shape 
and  carriage ;  of  an  extremely  different  colour  to  the  male, 
whence  I  attach  little  weight  to  diversity  of  colour,  in  these  as 
in  them.  She  was  all  over  of  a  ferrugineous  colour,  except  the 
three  quill-feathers,  which  were  black.  Her  comb,  if  you  com- 
pare it  with  the  comb  of  the  male,  was  much  smaller." 

Aldrovandi's  Rumpless  Cock  is  represented  with  a  large 
double  comb,  that  is  produced  backwards,  "  veluti  caudam," 
like  a  tail.  I  am  without  information  as  to  their  laying  and 
sitting  qualities.  They  are  not  small,  being  at  least  of  the 
average  size  of  Fowls. 

"  This  species/'  says  Temminck,  "  has  given  rise  to  many 
exaggerated  tales.  Before  the  domestic  (race  of  the  Rumpless 
Fowl)  was  well  known,  and  dispersed  through  the  different 
countries  of  Europe,  the  vulgar  conceived  ridiculous  ideas, 
brought  forth  by  superstition,  on  the  subject  of  these  birds. 

26 


302      THE     SILKY     AND     THE    NEGRO     FOWL. 

"  The  <  Philosophical  Transactions  of  the  year  1693/  inform 
us  that  the  Cocks  of  Virginia  have  no  rumps ;  the  inhabitants 
of  this  colony  affirm  that  when  Cocks  are  transported  there 
they  soon  lose  their  rump ;  but  this  opinion  is  false,  and  has 
not  been  confirmed  by  modern  travellers.  Buffon,  who  seems 
to  put  faith  in  this  improbable  story,  appears  to  conclude  from 
it,  that  this  species  originated  in  Virginia  \  ( the  more  so/ 
says  this  naturalist,  <  as  the  ancients  were  unacquainted  with 
them,  and  naturalists  did  not  begin  to  mention  them  till  after 
the  discovery  of  America/  " 

Such  are  the  marvellous  effects  of  climate  !  Such  are  the 
foundations  for  doctrines  which  common  sense  cannot  help  be- 
lieving dangerous  in  tendency,  as  well  as  false  in  principle ! 
That  such  nonsense  should  influence  the  opinion  of  learned 
philosophers  ! — nonsense  deserving  only  to  be  answered  by 
other  nonsense.  If  this  wasting  away  of  the  indescribable 
part  of  the  bodily  frame  be  general  in  Virginia ;  if  the  inhabit- 
ants of  that  State  really  are  subject  to  the  loss — shall  we  dare 
say  it? — of  their  rumps,— what  a  profitable  speculation  it 
would  be  to  send  out  to  them  a  few  ship-loads  of  bustles,  to 
try  if  they  also  will  disappear  by  the  influence  of  the  climate ! 


THE  SILKY  AND  THE  NEGRO  FOWLS. 

ANOMALIES  have  been  called  "  finger-posts,  that  point  the 
way  to  unsuspected  truths."  This  strange  genus — for  their 
claims  to  that  title  deserve  to  be  investigated — ought  to  excite 
the  curiosity  of  naturalists,  though  they  have  not  much  me- 
rited the  favour  of  Poultry-keepers.  Even  if  it  be  found  that 
they  produce  prolific  offspring  when  cooped  with  our  common 
Poultry,  that  circumstance  cannot  be  allowed  to  weigh  for 
much  in  our  present  most  imperfect  knowledge  of  the  family. 


THE     SILKY     AND     THE    NEGRO     F  0  W  L.         303 

A  great  deal  of  confusion  and  uncertainty  is  current  respecting 
the  Silky  and  the  Negro  Fowls ;  and  it  cannot  be  expected 
that  a  country  clergyman,  who  has  but  limited  means  of  in- 
vestigation at  command,  should  be  able,  in  a  first  endeavour, 
to  throw  much  light  on  a  most  intricate  and  difficult  subject, 
or  to  afford  much  final  information  on  a  class  of  creatures  which 
have  a  more  appropriate  place  in  the  museum  than  in  the 
Poultry-yard.  But  they  may  safely  be  pronounced  to  be 
worthless,  as  stock :  they  are  kept  in  existence  in  this  country 
by  importation  from  India,  rather  than  by  breeding.  They 
may  be  had  in  London  for  about  10s.  each ;  for  less,  perhaps, 
occasionally ,  and  a  collection  of  them,  and  a  comparison  of 
their  differences,  is  desirable  for  scientific  purposes.  It  may  be 
presumed  that  in  India  several  kinds  are  to  be  found,  with 
which  we  are  totally  unacquainted.  We  have,  however,  quite 
enough  to  stimulate  inquiry.  There  are,  first,  a  Silky  Fowl, 
with  white  plumage  and  skin,  red  comb,  and  bones  coloured 
the  same  as  in  other  Fowls ;  called,  sometimes,  the  Nankin 
Silky  Fowl.  Secondly,  another  Silky  Fowl  with  white  plum- 
age, but  with  dark  skin  and  comb,  and  dark  bone,  called 
also  the  Black-boned  Fowl.  Such  as  these  are  doubtless  those 
in  the  possession  of  the  Queen.  "I  saw  a  lot  of  ugly,  under- 
sized white  Fowls,  with  black  combs  and  indescribable  plumage, 
that  had  been  sent  to  her  Majesty  from  the  East,  which  I  sup- 
pose are  the  breed  to  which  you  refer.  See  the  article 
( Pheasant/  in  the  '  Penny  Cyclopaedia.'  My  brother  tells  me 
that  he  saw  some  very  small  White  Silky  Fowls  which  had 
been  brought  from  Calcutta.  If  I  remember  aright,  her  Ma- 
jesty's were  as  small  as  any  Bantams." — J.  8.  W.  Thirdly, 
there  is  another  kind  of  Silky  Fowls,  with  plumage  almost 
black,  with  black  comb  and  skin,  and  with  bones  that  are  black, 
or  of  a  dark  colour  :  and,  fourthly,  I  am  led  to  believe  that 
there  exists,  what  would  be  the  true  Negro  Fowl,  a  bird  with 


304       THE    SILKY    AND     THE     NEGRO     FOWL. 

black  comb,  skin  and  bones,  and  with  plumage  which  is  black, 
but  not  silky. 

Instances  of  creatures  having  bones  naturally  discoloured,  are, 
I  think,  rare.  The  only  other  one  I  can  call  to  mind,  is  that 
of  the  Gar-fish,  which  is  not  unfrequent  in  the  London  markets, 
a  most  curious  piece  of  organization,  with  a  long  beak  like  a 
Snipe,  a  long  body  like  an  Eel,  but  flattened  like  a  riband, 
and  grass-green  bones.  "  The  Wool-bearing  Hen  I  take 
to  be  altogether  fabulous,  and  its  figure  in  Aldrov.  lib  xiv. 
cap.  14,  taken  out  of  a  certain  map,  fictitious.  Perchance 
it  was  no  other  than  the  frizzled  or  Friesland  Hen,  which  Odo- 
ricus  de  Foro  Julii  and  Sir  John  Mandevil  call  the  Wool- 
bearing  Hen.  The  birds  which  M.  Paulas  Venefus  makes 
mention  of  in  these  words,  '  In  the  city  Quelinfu,  in  the  king- 
dom of  Mangi,  are  found  Hens,  which,  instead  of  feathers  have 
hairs  like  Cats,  of  a  black  colour,  and  lay  very  good  Eggs,' 
seem  to  be  Cassowaries." — Willugliby,  p.  156.  A  daring 
piece  of  skepticism  for  those  times !  However,  the  Frizzled 
and  the  Silky  Fowls  are  quite  distinct.  Aldrovandi's  own 
words  are — "  The  likeness  of  this  Wool-bearing  Hen  is  taken 
out  of  a  certain  cosmographic  map.  There  is  a  very  great 
city,  towards  the  East,  in  which  the  largest  Cocks  are  produced. 
The  Hens  are  white  as  snow,  and,  according  to  the  Odoricus 
of  Forum  Julii,  (three  different  towns  rejoice  in  that  name,) 
are  covered,  not  with  feathers,  but  with  wool,  like  sheep.  Also 
Marco  Polo,  the  Venetian,  writes,  that  in  the  city  Quelinfu,  in 
the  kingdom  Mangi  by  name,  Hens  are  found  that,  in  the 
place  of  feathers  have  hairs  like  cats,  are  of  a  black  colour, 
and  lay  most  excellent  Eggs."  Aldrovandi's  figure  is  black, 
with  large  wattles,  and  elaborately  jagged  comb.  The  bird 
is  covered  with  curly  locks.  But  an  inspection  of  these  old 
wood-cuts,  especially  in  botanical  works,  suggests  the  idea,  that 
many  of  them  were  merely  symbolical,  intended  rather  to  give 


THE     FRIZZLED,     OR     FRIESLAND     FOWL.    305 

the  hieroglyphic  of  the  thing  meant,  than  an  actual  verisimi- 
lar representation  of  it. 

Temminck  states  positively  that  the  Negro  Fowl  exists  in 
a  wild  state  in  India ;  and  that  both  it  and  the  Silky  Fowls 
differ  anatomically  from  the  ordinary  Domestic  Fowls.  Buffon 
wonders  what  it  can  be  which  the  Negro  Fowls  find  to  eat  in 
their  native  home,  so  to  change  the  colour,  not  merely  of  their 
comb  and  skin,  but  of  their  periosteum  also. 

Analogous  to  the  Silky  Fowl  is  the  Lace  Pigeon,  so  called 
on  account  of  the  peculiarity  of  its  feathers,  the  fibres  or  web 
of  which  appear  disunited  from  each  other  throughout  their 
whole  plumage. 


THE   FRIZZLED,   OR   FRIESLAND  FOWL. 

IT  is  difficult  to  say  whether  this  be  an  aboriginal  variety, 
or  merely  a  peculiar  instance  of  the  morphology  of  feathers; 
the  circumstance  that  there  are  also  Frizzled  Bantams  would 
seem  to  indicate  the  latter  case  to  be  the  fact.  School-boys 
used  to  account  for  the  up-curled  feathers  of  the  Frizzled  Fowl, 
by  supposing  that  they  had  come  the  wrong  way  out  of  the  shell. 
They  are  to  be  met  with  of  various  colours,  but  are  disliked 
and  shunned,  and  crossly  treated  by  other  Poultry.  Old- 
fashioned  people  sometimes  call  them  French  Hens.  The 
reversion  of  the  feathers,  rendering  them  of  little  use  as  clothing 
to  the  birds,  makes  this  variety  to  be  peculiarly  susceptible 
of  cold  and  wet.  They  have  thus  the  demerit  of  being  tender 
as  well  as  ugly.  In  good  specimens,  every  feather  looks  as  if 
it  had  been  curled  the  wrong  way  with  a  pair  of  hot  curling- 
irons.  The  stock  is  retained  in  existence  in  this  country  more 
by  importation  than  by  rearing.  The  small  Frizzled  Bantams 
at  the  Zoological  Gardens,  Regent's  Park,  are  found  to  be 
excellent  sitters  and  nurses.  Aldrovandi  has  an  unmistakeable 

26* 


306     THE     FRIZZLE  D,     OR     PRIESLAND     FOWL. 

figure  of  the  Frizzled  Cock,  and  gives  the  following  account 
of  it : — 

"Pompilius  Tagliaferrus,  of  Parma,  not  the  lowest  among 
distinguished  physicians,  wrote  to  me  respecting  this  Cock,  in 
these  words:  'I  send  thee  the  effigy  of  a  monstrous  Cock, 
although  the  painter  has  not  satisfied  me  in  its  delineation. 
But  I  wish  you  to  know  that  two  things  particularly  worthy 
of  admiration  are  to  be  found  in  this  Cock,  which  are  scarcely 
ever  seen  in  our  own  Cocks  and  Hens.  The  first  and  principal 
is,  that  the  feathers  of  the  wings  are  situated  in  a  contrary 
manner  to  what  they  are  in  others,  for  the  flat  part  of  them, 
which,  by  the  prescript  of  nature,  in  others  bends  inwards,  in 
this  is  seen  outwards,  so  that  the  whole  wing  appears  entirely 
reversed.  I  think  another  thing  worthy  of  notice,  namely, 
that  the  small  feathers  of  the  neck  are  erected  towards  the 
head,  like  curls,  whither  also  the  whole  tail  appears  to  be 
bent.'  So  far  he.  But  what  he  records  of  this  Cock,  neither 
its  portrait  sent  to  me  nor  our  figure  sufficiently  express; 
which  his  words  show  to  have  happened  through  the  unskil- 
fulness  of  the  painter."  Aldrovandi  seems  to  doubt  the  fact. 
His  bird  is  drawn  with  a  large,  deep-cleft  comb. 

Temminck  makes  a  species  of  this  bird.  He  says,  it  is  a 
native  of  Asia,  and  is  found  in  a  domestic  state  throughout 
Java,  Sumatra,  and  all  the  Philippine  Islands,  where  it 
succeeds  well;  but  he  is  uncertain  in  what  country  it  is  still 
found  wild. 

It  is  curious  that  there  should  be  a  Frizzled  Pigeon,  called 
by  Fanciers  the  Frill-back. 


THE     CUCKOO     FOWL.  807 


THE   CUCKOO   FOWL. 

WE  here  give,  by  the  name  by  which  it  is  usually  designated 
in  the  Norfolk  farm-yards,  a  variety  which  there  is  good  reason 
to  believe  to  be  something  old  and  distinct,  though  they  are 
generally  looked  upon  as  mere  Barn-door  Fowls;  i.  e.  the 
mere  accidental  result  of  promiscuous  crossing.  But  there 
are  several  forms  among  the  Barn-door  Fowls,  so  called,  that 
are  seen  to  be  repeated  generation  after  generation,  the 
counterparts  of  which  are  to  be  met  with  scattered  here  and 
there  over  the  country.  So  constant  a  repetition  of  corre- 
sponding features  would  seem  to  declare,  that  there  are  several 
unnoticed  and  undistinguished  varieties  of  Fowl,  which  deserve 
to  be  regarded  and  treated  as  we  do  other  distinct  sorts.  The 
objection  to  the  adoption  of  this  view  and  mode  of  practice  is, 
that  it  would  inconveniently  multiply  the  number  of  species, 
and  give  additional  trouble  to  naturalists  and  poultry  fanciers. 
But  the  multiplicity  of  Nature's  works  always  has  been  infinite, 
in  reference  to  man's  power  of  understanding  them.  The 
only  wonder,  if  we  reflect,  is,  that  he  has  had  the  courage  to 
grapple  with  them  at  all.  At  any  rate,  the  investigation  of  a 
few  families  of  Cocks  and  Hens,  is  a  less  laborious  work  than 
the  arrangement  of  a  "Systema  Naturae,"  or  the  writing  of  a 
"  Kosmos."  The  subject  is  certainly  deserving  of  considera- 
tion, and  may  be  the  means  of  affording  important  service  to 
natural  history.  Dr.  Bechstein  seems  to  have  been  not  far 
from  suspecting  that  several  distinct  varieties  might  be  detected 
among  the  ordinary  Fowls  of  the  farm-yard.  It  might  answer 
the  purpose  of  the  dealer  to  rear  a  pure  stock  of  some  of  the 
handsomest  and  most  useful  of  these,  and  send  them  forth 
with  appropriate  names,  determined  by  competent  persons, 
fixing  the  appellation  of  the  variety. 


310  THE     BLUE     DUN     FOWL. 

quite  approve  of  their  being  called  Blue  Bantams,  as,  although 
the  breed  is  certainly  small,  it  is  still  respectable  in  size,  and 
the  Eggs  are  very  fair  in  that  respect. 

"  The  Hens  are  good  layers,  wanting  to  sit  after  laying  a 
moderate  number  of  Eggs,  and  proving  attentive  and  careful 
rearers  of  their  own  Chickens,  but  rather  savage  to  those  of 
other  Hens.  The  Eggs  are  small  and  short,  tapering  slightly 
at  one  end,  and  perfectly  white.  The  Chicks,  on  just  coming 
from  the  Egg,  sometimes  have  a  ridiculous  resemblance  to  the 
gray  and  yellow  catkin  of  the  willow,  being  of  a  soft  bluish 
gray,  mixed  with  a  little  yellow  here  and  there. 

<l  There  is  one  peculiarity  in  this  breed,  which  is,  that  if 
the  variety  is  kept  perfectly  unmixed  with  any  other  sort,  you 
will  seldom  obtain  more  than  half  the  number  of  the  proper 
Blue  Duns,  the  rest  being  either  black  or  white.  (This  would 
make  us  strongly  suspect  that,  if  their  history  were  known, 
they  are  themselves  but  a  cross  between  two  distinct  varieties 
or  species  of  Fowls,  and  that  they  must  themselves  eventually 
disappear,  by  assimilation  to  the  type  of  one  or  other  progeni- 
tor.) The  white  Chickens,  however,  are  afterwards  sprinkled 
with  dun  feathers.  Perhaps  the  original  sort  may  have  been 
either  black  or  white,  as  we  know  animals  will,  after  many 
cross-breedings,  '  cry  back/  as  it  is  called  in  some  counties,  to 
the  origin  whence  they  arose. 

"  The  Blue  Duns  are  nearly  equal  to  game  of  any  sort  for 
eating.  The  hackles  of  the  Cock  are  always  in  great  request 
for  making  artificial  flies  for  fishing." — H.  H. 

A  Cockerel  of  this  breed  had  the  comb  large,  single,  deeply 
serrated;  bill,  dark  horn-colour,  white  at  the  points  of  both 
mandibles;  ear-lobe,  whitish;  wattles,  large  and  pendent; 
iris,  orange-brown ;  neck  hackle,  yellowish  gray ;  back  hackle, 
the  same,  intermixed  with  black ;  legs,  light  lead-colour ;  live 
weight,  3  Ib.  11  oz. ;  general  tint,  bluish  dun ;  claws,  grayish 
white. 


THE    BLUE    DUN     FOWL.  311 

The  theory  that  the  colour  of  the  Blue  Bun  results  from  a 
combination  of  white  and  black  (i.  e.  very  dark  purple  or 
slate-colour)  in  the  progenitors,  as  betrayed  by  the  habitual 
"  crying  back"  of  the  breed,  is  confirmed  by  the  fact  of  the 
speckled  black  and  white  or  gray  and  white  Spanish  pro- 
ducing whole-coloured  slaty-gray  birds,  though  of  a  darker 
hue  than  the  Blue  Buns,  in  which  the  permanency  of  the 
tint  appears  to  be  equally  uncertain.  It  will  be  worth  while 
to  keep  some  of  the  aberrant  Chickens  of  the  Blue  Buns,  and 
record  what  is  the  result  of  their  propagation  inter  se. 

I  am  now  much  inclined  to  transfer  these  birds  to  the  Game 
Fowls,  and  altogether  abolish  the  "  Blue  Buns"  as  a  distinct 
race,  but  await  the  consent- of  able  amateurs  in  Poultry.  There 
are  Blue  Bun  families  belonging  to  several  breeds :  we  have 
them  in  the  Spanish,  the  Polish,  the  Game,  and  the  Ham- 
burghs,  and  it  would  be  more  correct  to  refer  each  Blue  Bun 
to  its  own  proper  ancestry.  It  is  a  nice  question,  which  there 
is  not  space  to  discuss  here,  how  far  colour  is  typical  of  certain 
species  or  sub-species ;  in  some  parts  of  a  bird  it  never  varies 
at  all,  but  in  the  general  plumage  it  varies  considerably,  under 
limitations  ]  thus,  I  never  saw  or  heard  of  a  brown  or  golden 
Spanish  Fowl.  Meanwhile,  descriptions  of  one  or  two  other 
Blue  Buns  will  aid  in  attaining  a  clearer  view.  The  first,  a 
decided  Game  Fowl,  cannot  differ  much  from  ours.  "  You 
say  that  your  Blue  Buns  are  perhaps  the  result  of  accidental 
crossing,  whereas  they  have  been  known,  both  in  Yorkshire 
and  Lancanshire,  for  many  years,  as  a  pure,  unmixed,  and 
distinct  variety.  They  are  also  the  most  courageous  and 
impetuous  of  the  Game  Fowls,  seldom  having  been  known  to 
lose  their  first  battle.  Their  plumage  is,  I  think,  the  most 
beautiful  of  any  of  their  specie.  The  breast  is  of  a  rich  dark 
slate-colour,  the  feathers  having  a  broad  margin  of  a  darker 
hue,  the  saddle  of  a  deep  blood-colour,  and  the  hackles  of  the 
neck  and  tail  of  a  dark  red,  gradually  shading  to  a  beautiful 


312  THE    LARK-CRESTED    FOWL. 

golden  tint ;  the  tail  black  and  flowing,  with  a  brilliant  green 
shade.  The  Cock  is  thus  a  most  gorgeous  looking  fellow,  of 
a  strong  muscular  frame,  without  offal;  his  legs  are  blue. 
The  Hen  is  marked  in  the  same  manner,  all  over  the  back  and 
body,  with  the  hackle  of  the  same  golden  colour.  The  Chicks, 
when  first  hatched,  are  of  a  reddish  brown,  but  with  no  par- 
ticular distinctive  markings :  this  I  have  only  from  hearsay, 
from  the  man  who  keeps  them  for  us,  and  who  has  been  a 
breeder  of  the  variety  for  many  years." — F.  S.  B. 

There  is  also  a  Blue  Dun,  which  resembles  the  Hamburghs 
in  every  particular  except  in  colour,  and  a  disposition  to  sit, 
which  makes  them  more  useful  to  the  farmer,  who  must,  if  he 
keep  but  one  variety,  have  Fowls  which  will  rear  their  own 
young,  which  none  of  the  Hamburghs  will  do.  Mr.  Bissell 
says — "These  are  very  fine  noble-looking  birds,  and  as  useful 
as  they  are  beautiful ;  and  they  have,  to  my  knowledge,  per- 
manently bred  without  at  all  'crving  back*  or  running  out,  for 
some  years." 


THE   LARK-CRESTED   FOWL. 

HERE,  again,  as  with  the  Cuckoo  Fowl,  is  a  breed  that  has 
been  treated  with  undeserved  disregard.  Many  London  dealers 
might  call  them  Polanders,  and  indeed  many  ill-bred  Polands 
have  crests  inferior  to  some  of  these  in  size.  But  the  shape 
of  the  crest,  as  well  as  the  proportions  of  the  bird,  are  different. 
Aldrovandi  perceived  the  distinction.  He  calls  the  one  "  Our 
farm-yard  Hen,  known  to  everybody,  entirely  white,  and 
crested  like  a  Lark :"  the  other  is  his  Paduan  Fowl.  The 
first,  of  whatever  colour,  is  of  a  peculiar  taper-form,  inclining 
forwards,  as  Aldrovandi's  old-fashioned  wood-cut  well  repre- 
sents, with  a  moderate,  depressed,  backward-directed  crest,  and 


THE     LARK-CRESTED     FOWL.  313 

deficient  in  the  neatness  of  the  legs  and  feet  so  conspicuous  in 
the  Polands ;  the  latter  are  of  more  upright  carriage  and  more 
squarely  built  frame.  Set  the  two  side  by  side,  and  their  dis- 
crepancy will  be  apparent.  I  would  distinguish  the  Lark- 
crested  from  the  Polish  l^owls,  by  the  former  having  an  occipi- 
tal crest,  the  latter  more  of  a  frontal  one.  Mr.  Selby's  volume 
on  Pigeons,  in  the  Naturalist's  Library,  gives  a  figure  and  de- 
spription  of  the  Columba  dilopha,  or  Double-crested  Pigeon, 
which  has  both  these  forms  of  top-knots  united  on  its  head. 

Lark-crested  Fowls  are  of  various  colours ;  pure  snow-white, 
brown  with  yellow  hackle,  and  black.  How  far  these  sorts 
required  to  be  subdivided,  has  not  yet  been  investigated.  The 
first  of  these  are  perhaps  of  a  more  brilliant  white  than  is  seen  in 
any  other  domesticated  gallinaceous  bird.  The  colour  is  much 
more  dazzling  than  that  of  the  White  Guinea  Fowl,  or  the 
White  Pea  Fowl.  This  white  variety  is  in  great  esteem  with 
many  farmers'  wives,  who  will  keep  it,  to  the  entire  ex- 
clusion of  any  sort.  They  certainly  have  a  remarkably  neat 
and  lively  appearance  when  rambling  about .  a  homestead. 
They  look  very  clean  and  attractive  when  dressed  for  market : 
an  old  bird,  cleverly  trussed,  will  be  apparently  as  delicate  and 
transparant  in  the  skin  and  flesh  as  an  ordinary  chicken. 
The  feathers  are  also  more  saleable  than  those  from  darker 
coloured  Fowls.  My  own  experience  leads  to  the  suspicion 
that  if  they  are  a  little  more  tender  than  other  kinds  raised 
near  the  barn-door,  it  is  only  a  little }  and  I  must  think  them 
to  be  in  every  way  preferable  to  the 'White  Dorkings.  In  the 
Cocks  a  single  upright  comb  sometimes  almost  entirely  takes 
the  place  of  the  crest.  The  Hens,  too,  vary  in  their  degree  of 
crestedness,  some  not  having  above  half  a  dozen  of  feathers 
in  their  head-dress.  If  they  were  not  of  average  merit  as  to 
their  laying  and  sitting  qualifications,  they  would  not  retain 
the  favour  they  do  with  the  thrifty  housewives  by  whom  they 
are  chiefly  cultivated. 

27 


314  THE     LARK-CRESTED     FOWL. 

These  neglected  varieties  are  well  known  to  the  itinerant 
Fowl-dealers,  who  traverse  the  country  in  search  of  Chickens 
to  be  fatted  for  market.  From  them  they  may  easily  be  ob- 
tained at  a  reasonable  price.  The  best  way  would  be  to  order 
a  random  lot  of  a  score  or  two,  select  the  best  for  stock,  and 
consume  those  which  remain.  These  people  value  Fowls  en- 
tirely according  to  their  age,  size,  and  weight.  Almost  the 
only  exception  is,  that  they  will  now  and  then  give  a  trifle 
more  for  a  handsome,  showy,  adult  Cock  Bird,  particularly  if 
he  exhibit  marks  of  Game  blood.  But  the  most  amusing 
speculation  is  to  purchase  Eggs  in  country  towns,  from  the 
wives  of  those  small  farmers  who  bring  their  own  produce  to 
market,  and  take  the  chance  of  whatever  may  be  hatched  from 
them.  By  keeping  ten  or  a  dozen  sitting  Hens,  and  obtaining 
Eggs  from  different  localities,  a  sufficient  number  of  various 
Chickens  may  be  obtained  in  one  season  to  afford  the  breeder 
a  good  opportunity  of  exercising  his  discriminating  judgment. 
A  very  little  experience  will  soon  point  out  which  are  mere 
half-breds  of  well-known  sorts,  and  which  show  symptoms  of 
belonging  to  a  distinct  race;  and  that  long  before  they  have 
attained  their  full  growth — sometimes  as  soon  as  they  have 
issued  from  the  shell.  In  a  harmless  lottery  like  this,  some 
prizes  are  sure  to  turn  up ;  the  only  blanks  being  addled  Eggs. 


^-^v 

*^&*^L^s4S 

ME.    WISTAE'S    SEBEIGHT    BANTAMS 


815 


CHAPTER 

THE     SMOOTH-LEGGED     BANTAM. 

THE  small  White,  and  also  the  Coloured  Bantams,  whose  legs 

A  '-3  heavily  feathered,  are  sufficiently  well  known  to  render  a 

articular  description  unnecessary.    Bantam-fanciers  generally, 

with  Sir  John  Sebright  at  their  head,  prefer  those  which  have 

clean  bright  legs,  without  any  vestige  of  feathers. 

The  rule  with  fanciers  is,  that  a  thorough-bred  Cock  should 
have  a  rose  comb;  a  well-feathered  tail,  without  the  sickle 
feathers,  however;  full  hackles,  a  proud  lively  carriage,  and 
ought  not  to  exceed  a  pound  in  weight.  The  nankeen- 
coloured,  and  the  black  are  the  general  favourites. 

They  are  said  to  have  been  imported,  by  the  late  Sir  John 
Sebright,  from  India.  For  perfection  of  model,  and  beauty 
of  plumage,  nothing  can  exceed  them.  The  pair  portrayed 
on  the  opposite  page  are  in  the  possession  of  Mr.  Wistar,  of 
Germantown,  and  were  procured  for  him  by  a  friend  in  Eng- 
land. They  are,  as  may  be  seen  in  the  portraits,  beautifully 
marked ;  the  ground  of  the  feathers  being  a  rich  orange-brown 
or  cream-colour,  and  each  feather  pencilled  round  the  edge 
with  black,  with  the  greatest  uniformity.  They  are  sometimes 
called  the  "  Sebright  Jungle  Fowl."  They  are  bred  in  and  about 
London,  also  in  various  part  of  England  and  Ireland,  with  the 


316  THE     SMOOTH-LEGGED     BANTAM. 

most  scrupulous  care.  In  London  there  are  stated  times  foi 
the  exhibition  and  sale  of  these  birds ;  and  Mr.  Nolan  tells  us, 
that  "  the  regulations  of  the  Society  of  London  Amateurs,  re- 
quire that  each  exhibitor  shall  offer  his  birds  for  sale,  after  the 
exhibition,  and  may  bid  himself,  and  put  on  a  prohibitory 
amount  of  purchase-money.  It  is  on  record  that  Sir  John 
bid  up  one  of  his  diminutive  Hens  to  £29,  and  bought  her  in 
at  that  price.  And  it  is  recorded  in  the  Illustrated  London 
News,  of  20th  February,  1847,  that  so  late  as  that  date,  two 
Hens  and  a  Cock,  of  these  beautiful  emblems  of  pride  and 
consequence,  sold  for  £50  and  Is.,  being  a  shilling  more  than 
the  amount  put  on  them  by  their  owner.  At  the  sale  of  the 
late  lamented  baronet,  the  golden  grounded  birds  averaged 
£5  a  brace,  and  the  silver  spangled  £8  a  brace;  although 
they  are  becoming  comparatively  abundant,  they  still  keep  up 
a  high  price  in  the  London  market,  if  well  marked.  There 
has  been  lately  offered  here,  some  fine  specimens,  from  Sir 
John's  own  stock,  at  a  very  low  figure.  I  do  not  think  any 
thing  could  exceed  their  perfection  of  feather.  A  lady  near 
Shrewsbury  has  procured  some  fine  specimens,  of  both  gold 
and  silver  spangled,  from  this  neighbourhood ;  if  she  still  re- 
tain them,  I  think  she  may  challenge  England ;  as  far  as  I 
can  judge,  they  are  quite  superior  to  those  that  took  the 
prize  in  London.  Some  ladies  in  the  Queen's  County,  have 
procured  fine  specimens  from  the  late  baronet's  stock;  I  have 
no  doubt,  but  under  their  fostering  care,  the  breed  will  be 
kept  up  with  as  much  ardour  as  during  the  lifetime  of  the 
great  poultry-patron  Sir  John,  and  that  we  will  be  breeding 
them,  as  in  the  baronet's  lifetime,  '  to  a  single  feather/  and 
retain  their  character  of  the  l  prettiest  of  domestic  birds/  The 
male  birds  should  stand  about  twelve  inches  high  ;  the  stand- 
ard weight  being  twenty-two  ounces ;  the  plumage  as  above 
described,  (the  rose-comb  is  preferred) ;  the  wattles  are  mode- 
rately long;  face  and  throat  bare ;  no  top-knot  or  ruff  on  neck; 


THE     SMOOTH-LEGGED    BANTAM.  317 

as  free  as  possible  from  hackle ;  tail  without  the  plume,  or 
what  is  called  hen-tailed ;  perfectly  clean-legged." 

Our  author,  Mr.  Dixon,  says  of  Bantams: — We  are  now 
timorously  approaching  the  most  treasured  pets  of  the  Fancy. 
We  have  advanced  with  a  tolerably  steady  footstep  through  the 
flocks  of  well-sized  creatures  that  crowded  beside  our  path — 
the  Turkeys,  the  Peacocks,  the  Geese,  and  the  Swans, — and 
should  not  have  feared  to  encounter  even  an  Emeu  or  a  Cereop- 
sis,  had  chance  planted  one  in  the  way ;  but  a  sudden  fear  and 
trembling  creeps  over  us  as  we  draw  near  to  these  mysterious 
•elves  and  pigmies  of  the  feathered  world.  Gulliver  got  on 
very  well  in  Brobdingnag,  so  long  as  he  did  not  attempt 
any  leap  beyond  his  strength ;  but  the  minute  Lilliputians 
teased  him  sadly  by  their  numbers,  their  activity,  and  the  un- 
seen and  unsuspected  places  from  whence  they  issued.  But 
twenty  or  thirty  years  back,  Bantams  would  have  supplied  a 
more  formidable  muster-roll  than  they  now  do. 

Bantam  is  the  name  of  a  town  and  kingdom  in  the  island 
of  Java,  famous  for  its  trade  in  pepper,  of  which  the  Dutch 
despoiled  us,  and  for  its  unrelenting  punishment  of  thieves. 
"  The  Laws  of  this  country"  (Achin,  the  north-western  part 
of  Sumatra,  famous  for  the  juicy  and  refreshing  fruit  called 
the  Pumple-nose,  and  the  seductive  and  intoxicating  herb 
Ganga  or  Bang,}  "  are  very  strict,  and  offenders  are  punished 
with  great  severity.  Neither  are  there  any  delays  of  justice 
here ;  for  as  soon  as  the  Offender  is  taken,  he  is  immediately 
brought  before  the  Magistrate,  who  presently  hears  the  matter, 
and  according  as  he  finds  it,  so  he  either  acquits,  or  orders 
punishment  to  be  inflicted  on  the  Party  immediately.  Small 
Offenders  are  only  whipt  on  the  back,  which  sort  of  punishment 
they  call  Cliaubuck.  A  Thief,  for  his  first  offence,  has  his 
right  hand  chopt  off  at  the  Wrist :  for  the  second  offence  off 
goes  the  other ;  and  sometimes,  instead  of  one  of  their  hands, 
one  or  both  of  their  feet  are  cut  off;  and  sometimes  (though 

27* 


318  THE     SMOOTH-LEGGED     BANTAM. 

very  rarely)  both  hands  and  feet.  If,  after  the  loss  of  one  or 
both  hands  and  feet,  they  still  prove  incorrigible,  (for  they  are 
many  of  them  such  very  Rogues  and  so  arch  that  they  will 
steal  with  their  Toes,)  then  they  are  banished  to  Pulo  Wai/, 
during  their  lives. 

"  On  Pulo  Way  there  are  none  but  this  sort  of  Cattle  :  and 
though  they  all  of  them  want  one  or  both  hands,  yet  they  so 
order  matters,  that  they  can  row  very  well,  and  do  many 
things  to  admiration,  whereby  they  are  able  to  get  a  liveli- 
hood ;  for  if  they  have  no  hands,  they  will  get  somebody  or 
other  to  fasten  Ropes  or  Withes  about  their  oars,  so  as  to 
leave  Loops  wherein  they  may  put  the  stumps  of  their  Arms ; 
and  therewith  they  will  pull  an  oar  lustily.  They  that  have 
one  hand  can  do  well  enough ;  and  of  these  you  shall  see  a 
a  great  many,  even  in  the  City. 

"  Neither  is  this  sort  of  punishment  peculiar  to  the  Achinese 
Government,1  but,  probably,  used  by  the  other  Princes  of  this 
Island,  and  on  the  Island  of  Java  also,  especially  at  Bantam. 
They  formerly,  when  the  King  of  Bantam  was  in  his  pro- 
sperity, deprived  men  of  the  right  hand  for  a  Theft,  and  may 
still,  for  aught  I  know.  I  knew  a  Dutch-man  so  served :  he 
was  a  Seaman,  belonging  to  one  of  the  King  of  Bantam's 
Ships." — Dampier's  Voyages,  vol.  ii.  p.  138. 

The  same  king  (an.  1688)  expected  to  receive  from  his  sub- 
jects a  very  unusual  mark  of  respect.  "  The  Queen  of  Achin, 
as  'tis  said,  is  always  an  old  Maid,  chosen  out  of  the  Royal 
Family.  "What  ceremonies  are  used  at  the  chusing  her  I 
know  not :  Nor  who  are  the  Electors ;  but  I  suppose  they  are 
the  Oronkeys  (Great  Lords).  After  she  is  chosen,  she  is  in  a 
manner  confined  to  her  Palace ;  for  by  report,  she  seldom  goes 
abroad,  neither  is  she  seen  by  any  People  of  inferiour  rank 
and  quality  ;  but  only  by  some  of  her  Domesticks  :  except  that 
once  a  Year  she  is  drest  all  in  white,  and  placed  on  an  Ele- 
phant, and  so  rides  to  the  river  in  state  to  wash  herself :  but 


THE  SMOOTH-LEGGED  BANTAM.     319 

whether  any  of  the  meaner  sort  of  People  may  see  her  in  that 
progress  I  know  not ;  for  it  is  the  custom  of  most  Eastern 
Princes  to  screen  themselves  from  the  sight  of  their  Subjects : 
Or  if  they  sometimes  go  abroad  for  their  pleasure,  yet  the 
People  are  then  ordered  either  to  turn  their  backs  towards 
them  while  they  pass  by,  as  formerly  at  Bantam,  or  to  hold 
their  hands  before  their  eyes,  as  at  Siam." — Idem.  p.  142. 

Our  little  friends  the  Bantams  clearly  show  where  they  come 
from.  Their  passionate  temper  arises  from  the  superabundance 
of  pepper,  their  diminutive  stature  from  the  Javanese  practice 
of  foreshortening,  their  turgid  comb  from  the  succulent 
Pumple-noses,  their  overweening  assumption  and  arrogance 
from  the  excitement  of  the  herb  Bang,  and  their  propensity 
to  make  every  rival  turn  tail,  from  the  established  court  eti- 
quette of  the  old  Bantam  regime. 

THE  YELLOW  OR  NANKEEN  BANTAMS  are  about  the  most 
useful  of  their  tribe,  and  not  the  least  ornamental.  The  Hens 
are  mainly  tinted  with  a  ginger-yellow,  and  have  dull  blue 
legs  and  feet,  and  small  comb.  There  is  a  sub-variety,  in 
which  they  are  more  brown,  after  the  fashion  of  some  Game 
Hens.  The  Cocks  are  decked  in  red,  orange,  and  scarlet, 
mostly  with  the  false  speculum  of  iridescent  wing-coverts, 
altogether  of  a  flashy  appearance ;  and,  indeed,  when  good 
specimens  of  their  kind,  are  really  beautiful  little  birds.  Of 
late  years  they  have  much  gone  out  of  fashion,  but  deserve  to 
be  rescued  from  utter  extermination.  Their  Eggs  are  large 
in  proportion  to  the  size  of  the  layer,  very  rounded  and  full  at 
both  ends.  They  are  excellent  mothers,  particularly  for  such 
delicate  things  as  Partridges,  Pheasants,  and  Guinea  Fowls. 
One  Hen,  however,  that  we  have,  prevents  this  use  being  made 
of  her  powers,  by  invariably  stealing  a  nest,  though  at  other 
times  she  roosts  in  the  fowl-house,  with  the  rest  of  the  Poul- 
try. She  is  usually  very  successful  in  her  efforts,  only  we  now 
and  then  have  Chickens  at  unseasonable  times  of  the  year. 


320  THE     SMOOTH-LEGGED     BANTAM. 

For  instance,  one  October  she  brought  home  seven  little  viva- 
cious balls  of  down,  that  certainly  would  not  have  had  to  en- 
counter the  dead  months  of  autumn  and  winter,  had  any 
other  opinion  than  their  mother's  been  consulted. 

The  browner  variety  of  this  bird  is  sometimes  called  the 
Partridge  Bantam  :  such  are  almost  minatures  of  the  Golden 
Hamburgh  Fowls,  both  Pencilled  and  Spangled.  There  is 
the  same  double  comb,  pointed  behind,  the  same  blue  legs  and 
characteristics  of  form  and  plumage.  But  it  would  be  wrong 
to  conclude  from  these  resemblances  that  it  is  a  dwarfed 
Hamburgh  Fowl ;  all  we  can  say  is,  that  this  bird  represents 
(as  some  naturalists  express  it)  the  Hamburghs  among  the 
Bantams ;  just  as  many  birds  of  one  Continent  are  found  re- 
presented in  another  by  corresponding,  though  quite  distinct 
species  of  the  same  genus. 

THE  SEBRIGHT  BANTAM  has  very  much  thrown  the  pre- 
ceding into  the  shade.  Their  beauty  is  of  a  different  class, 
but  it  is  questionable  whether  their  merits  are  greater.  Here 
we  have  delicate  pencilling  in  the  shape  of  brilliant  colouring. 
How  and  whence  they  first  appeared  in  England  is  a  mystery, 
and  likely  to  remain  so.  Sir  J.  S.  Sebright  has  the  credit  of 
having  "  originated"  the  breed,  a  reputation  which  we  believe 
to  be  as  well  deserved  as  that  he  "  originated"  the  creation  of 
the  feathered  race  in  general.  Those  in  his  confidence  were 
accustomed  to  report  that  he  would  travel,  "  or  send,"  as  far 
as  two  or  three  hundred  miles  to  obtain  a  choice  bird,  which 
was  doubtless  true ;  but  had  they  added  many  thousands  of 
miles  to  the  two  or  three  hundred  in  the  "  sending"  part  of 
the  story,  they  would,  we  believe,  have  been  still  nearer  to  the 
truth.  That  Sir  John  treated  his  birds,  when  procured,  with 
jealous  care  and  skilful  nurture,  will  be  readily  granted.  But 
while  breeders  continue  to  be  so  anxious,  not  merely  to  conceal 
their  system  of  management,  (in  the  earliest  stages  at  least,)  but 
even  to  mislead  inquirers,  those  who  cultivate  natural  history 


THE     SMOOTH-LEGGED     BANTAM.  321 

for  its  own  sake  will  not  be  justified  in  arriving  at  hasty  con- 
clusions from  such  information. 

We  are  at  once  struck  with  surprise  at  the  impudence  of 
the  Sebright  Bantams.  Oh,  the  -consequential  little  atom  ! 
That  such  a  contemptible  minikin  as  that  should  have  the  as- 
surance to  parade  his  insignificant  person  in  the  presence  of 
great  ladies,  the  female  members  of  families  of  weight  and 
substance,  before  the  Misses,  and  still  worse,  the  Mistresses 
Dorking,  Cochin-China,  and  Malay,  to  presume  to  show  marked 

attention,  nay  even,  I  declare  !  to .  Well,  there  is  no 

knowing  to  what  lengths  impudence  will  go,  so  long  as  Ban- 
tams survive  extermination. 

Here  is  a  little  whipper-snapper !  Pretty,  certainly,  and 
smart,  but  shamefully  forward  in  his  ways.  His  coat  is  of  a 
rich  brownish  yellow ;  almost  every  feather  is'  edged  with  a 
border  of  a  darker  hue,  approaching  to  black.  His  neat  slim 
legs  are  of  a  light  dull  lead-colour ;  his  ample  tail,  from  which 
the  sickle  feathers  are  absent,  is  carried  well  over  his  back.  His 
dependent  wings  nearly  touch  the  ground.  He  is  as  upright 
as  the  stiffest  drill-serjeant,  or  more  so,  for  he  appears  now  and 
then  as  if  he  would  fall  backwards,  like  a  horse  that  over-rears 
himself.  His  full  rose  comb  and  deep  depending  wattles  are 
plump  and  red :  but  their  disproportionate  size  affords  a  most 
unfortunate  hold  for  the  beak  of  his  adversary :  but  he  cares 
not  for  that ;  a  little  glory  is  worth  a  good  deal  of  pecking  and 
pinching,  and  it  is  not  a  slight  punishment,  nor  a  merely  oc- 
casional infliction  of  it,  that  will  make  him  give  in.  The  great 
Hens,  too,  that  look  down  upon  him,  and  over  him,  think  pro- 
per to  do  battle  with  him  on  a  first  introduction,  though  they 
afterwards  find  out  that  they  might  as  well  have  received  him 
in  a  more  feminine  style  : 

"  For  Hens,  like  Women,  born  to  be  controlled, 
Stoop  to  the  forward  and  the  bold." 


322  THE     SMOOTH -LEGGED    BANTAM. 

The  plumage  of  the  Hens  is  similar  to  that  of  the  Cocks. 
They  are*  very  good  layers,  most  excellent  sitters,  assiduous 
and  affectionate  mothers,  but  most  murderous  step-mothers : 
that  is,  if  you  attempt  to  change,  or  add  to,  the  number  of  the 
brood  they  have  hatched  themselves,  they  will  welcome  the 
little  strangers  by  making  raw-head  and  bloody-bones  of  them 
before  you  can  return  from  fetching  a  pan  of  water  to  set  before 
the  coop.  Their  own  Chickens  are  dark-brown  when  first 
hatched,  with  no  particular  marks  about  them  whilst  young. 
This  is  the  variety  figured  by  Moubray  as  the  "  Bantam  or 
Pheasant  Fowls." 

THE  SEBRIGHTS  are  divided  into  two  varieties, — the  Gold- 
laced,  and  the  Silver-laced.  The  model  G-old-laced  Cock 
should  be  of  a  brilliant  brownish  yellow,  with  every  feather, 
including  his  neck-feathers,  narrowly  laced  or  marginated  with 
black  all  round  them  :  his  flight  and  tail-feathers  of  the  same 
ground-colour  as  his  body,  but  tipped,  instead  of  laced,  at  the 
ends  with  black ;  rose  comb  nicely  pointed  behind ;  his  legs 
dull  light-blue ;  his  weight  not  to  exceed  twenty  ounces.  The 
Gold-laced  Jlen  should  correspond  in  all  particulars,  except 
weight,  which  must  not  exceed  one  pound.  Silver-laced  Ban- 
tams are  precisely  the  same  as  Gold-laced,  in  all  respects  except 
the  ground-colour,  which  should  be  as  nearly  white  as  possible, 
although  they  are  generally  inclined  to  be  of  an  exceedingly 
light  and  delicate  cream-colour. 

THE  BLACK  BANTAM  is  a  most  beautiful  example  of  a  great 
soul  in  a  little  body.  It  is  the  most  pugnacious  of  its  whole 
tribe.  It  will  drive  to  a  respectful  distance  great  dunghill 
Cocks  five  times  its  weight.  It  is  more  jealous,  irascible,  and 
domineering,  in  proportion  to  its  size,  than  the  thorough-bred 
Game  Cock  himself.  Its  combativeness,  too,  is  manifested 
at  a  very  early  period.  Other  Chickens  will  fight  in  sport,  by 
the  time  they  are  half-grown,  but  these  set  to  work  in  good 
earnest.  One  summer  we  bought  a  small  brood,  as  soon  as 


THE     SMOOTH -LEGGED    BANTAM.  323 

they  could  safely  be  removed  from  their  mother :  there  were 
two  Cockerels  among  them.  They  were  little  things,  beauti- 
fully shaped,  but  ridiculously  diminutive  :  fairy  Chickens,  some 
of  our  friends  called  them  They  had  not  been  with  us  long, 
before  the  liberal  supply  of  barley  began  to  excite  them ;  and 
the  two  little  imps  spent  the  greater  part  of  their  time  in 
fighting,  which  only  made  us  laugh,  judging  serious  injury  im- 
possible. But  shortly,  observing  one  unusually  triumphant, 
(for  it  had  always  been  a  sort  of  drawn  game  between  them,) 
and  the  other  walking  about  in  an  odd  and  uncertain  manner, 
though  firm  and  fearless,  I  found  that  this  latter  had  both  its 
eyes  closed  from  wounds  received  the  day  before.  I  carried 
it  to  my  dressing-room,  to  relieve  it  by  sponging,  and  set  it  on 
the  stain-cloth,  while  I  went  to  fetch  some  warm  water.  Still 
blind,  it  began  crowing  vivaciously.  In  a  few  minutes,  its 
eyes  were  unsealed,  and  it  was  returned  to  the  yard.  But 
battle  after  battle  was  immediately  fought,  and  we  were 
obliged  to  eat  one  of  the  combatants  to  prevent  the  mutilation 
of  both.  We  can  consequently  confirm  the  statements  of  those 
who  praise  the  excellence  of  their  flesh,  particularly  if  it  be 
accompanied  by  a  little  good  bread-sauce.  One,  that  I  have 
seen,  was  in  the  constant  habit  of  fighting,  or  rather  sparring, 
with  a  little  spaniel  that  belonged  to  the  same  owner.  Though 
apparently  attacking  each  other  with  great  fury,  they  never 
seemed  to  be  really  in  earnest.  The  arrival  of  strangers  waa 
generally  the  signal  for  the  commencement  of  this  sham-fight, 
which  ended  without  bloodshed  as  soon  as  one  or  both  of  the 
combatants  were  out  of  breath.  The  spaniel  was  mostly  the 
first  to  give  in,  when  the  victor  evinced  as  much  triumph  as 
if  he  had  vanquished  a  feathered  foe. 

The  Black  Bantam,  in  his  appearance,  is  a  pleasing  littlo 
fellow.  He  should  have  a  full  rose  comb,  clean  and  sinewy 
legs,  glossy  plumage  with  almost  metallic  lustre,  of  a  different 
tint  to  the  glancing  green  of  the  Spanish  Fowl,  arched  and 


824  THE     SMOOTH-LEGGED    BANTAM. 

flowing  tail,  waggish  impudent  eye,  self-satisfied  air  and  gait. 
The  Hen  is  of  a  duller  jetty  black,  is  less  knowing  in  her  man- 
ner, and  I  think  in  every  way  of  inferior  capacity.  They 
have  great  credit  for  fulfilling  their  maternal  duties  well ;  but 
I  have  found  them  less  affectionate  and  careful  than  other 
Bantams.  They  are  great  stayers  at  home,  prowling  very  little 
about,  and  therefore  are  desirable  in  many  situations,  such  as 
suburban  villas  that  are  surrounded  by  captious  neighbours. 
They  will  remain  contented  with  the  range  of  a  moderate  stable- 
yard,  and  the  least  bit  of  shrubbery  ;  and  will  do  much  good  by 
the  consumption  of  numerous  insects.  They  are  reputed  good 
layers  during  winter ;  but  that  will  depend  on  the  liberality 
with  which  they  are  fed.  Cooks  say  that  their  Eggs,  though 
small,  are  "very  rich,"  which  means,  perhaps,  that  they  con- 
tain a  greater  proportion  of  yolk  than  those  of  larger  Fowls. 
Guinea  Fowls'  Eggs  are  prized  for  the  same  quality ;  and  any 
one  may,  at  breakfast,  observe  how  much  less  a  proportion  of 
white  there  is  in  them,  than  in  those  of  the  Turkey.  Black 
Bantams'  Eggs  are  smooth,  tinged  with  buff,  decidedly  long- 
oval  in  most  individuals,  and  with  a  zone  of  irregularity 
towards  the  smaller  end  in  some. 

The  new  Chicks  are  covered  with  black  down,  which  occa- 
sionally has  a  grayish  cast  under  the  belly  :  bill,  eyes,  feet, 
and  legs,  black.  The  female  Chicks  are  not  bigger  than  the 
queen  of  the  black  and  yellow  humble-bees,  and  their  slender 
little  legs  appear  fitter  to  belong  to  an  insect  than  a  Chicken. 
A  desire  to  obtain  the  largest  possible  brood,  induced  me  to 
hatch  some  under  a  great  Dorking  Hen,  because  she  can  cover 
so  many  Eggs ;  but  I  only  overreached  myself.  The  big  Hen 
was  too  heavy  and  clumsy  to  officiate  as  nurse  to  such  fragile 
atoms. 

When  brought  up  by  their  own  mother,  a  spent  cucumber- 
frame,  covered  with  a  net,  is  a  good  place  to  keep  them  the  first 
month.  The  hottest  and  finest  part  of  the  season  should  be 


THE   SMOOTH-LEGGED  BANTAM.     325 

selected  for  them  to  pass  their  chickenhood  in.  When  full 
grown  and  plumed,  they  are  not  more  tender  than  other  Poul- 
try, though  they  are  better  suited  for  confinement  in  wards. 

Those  who  keep  any  other  variety  of  Domestic  Fowl,  and 
are  desirous  of  having  plenty  of  Chickens,  as  well  as  Eggs, 
had  better  not  permit  a  Black  Bantam  Cock  to  enter  upon  their 
premises. 

THE  WHITE  BANTAM  very  much  resembles  the  above,  in 
every  respect,  except  colour :  the  rose  comb  may,  perhaps,  in 
some  specimens,  be  a  little  more  exuberant.  But  they  are  not 
much  to  be  coveted.  The  white  of  their  plumage  is  not  bril- 
liant, tind  is  sure  to  be  un-neat  in  the  places  where  they  are 
usually  kept.  Were  they  really  guilty  of  the  savage,  object- 
less, and  unnatural  ferocity  that  is  attributed  to  them,  they 
would  all  deserve  to  have  their  necks  wrung ;  but  the  tale 
wants  confirmation.  The  "  Illustrated  News,"  for  Feb.  20th, 
1847,  gives  some  particulars. 

THE  FEATHER-LEGGED  BANTAMS,  are  now  as  completely 
out  of  vogue,  as  they  were  formerly  in  esteem.  We  ought, 
perhaps,  to  have  referred  them  to  the  anomalous  Fowls.  The 
chief  interest  attached  to  them,  lies  in  their  hinting  to  the  na- 
turalist an  affinity  with  the  Grouse  tribe.  There  were  several 
sorts  of  them  in  repute,  but  they  are  now  nearly  extinct  in  this 
country.  See  Albin,  vol.  III.,  p.  32. 

CREEPERS,  so  called  from  the  shortness  of  their  legs,  and 
JUMPERS,  from  their  halting  gait,  are  rather  to  be  considered 
as  accidental  deformities  collected  from  unhealthy  families  of 
Bantams,  than  as  constituting  any  distinct  variety.  A  suffi- 
cient proof  of  which  is,  that  many  of  them  are  scarcely  able 
to  propagate  their  kind.  "The  Bantam  I  spoke  of  as  living  so 
long  (seventeen  years)  was  of  the  Feather-legged  sort,  spotted 
cream  and  white,  laying  merrily  as  ever  to  the  last;  but  no* 
having  warmth  sufficient  to  hatch,  I  always  made  her  a  present 
every  year  of  a  few  little  Chicks." — H.  H.  Some  of  these  are 

28 


326      THE  SMOOTH-LEGGED  BANTAM. 

the  very  smallest  of  their  genus,  being  not  larger  than  Pigeons, 
and  not  so  tall.  They  are  now  much  out  of  fashion,  and  are, 
rarely  seen.  They  are  well  known,  however,  to  the  middle-age 
curiosity  collectors.  "But  the  Hens  which  Longolius  calls 
pigmy,  and  renders  into  German  by  l  Kriel,'  (no  such  word  is 
to  be  found  in  Bailey's  Dictionary,)  those,  as  I  have  just  said, 
exist  here  and  there ;  they  creep  along  the  ground  by  limping, 
rather  than  walking ;  we  call  them  dwarfs." — Aldrovandi. 

Again :  "Although  we  declared  that  we  would  not  give  another 
figure  of  common  Hens,  we  have  thought  right,  on  account  of 
their  rarity,  to  exhibit  one  of  the  pigmy  or  dwarf  sort,  which 
we  have  said  that  many  people  unadvisedly  consider  as  the 
Hadrian  Hen,  (of  classical  authors,)  although  it  belongs  to  the 
same  kind.  But  this  Hen  was  all  black,  except  the  larger 
feathers  of  the  wings,  which  were  whitish  at  the  tips;  she  had 
likewise  white  spots  all  round  about  her  neck,  emulating  the 
full  moon  ;  and  lastly,  a  round  spot,  of  an  ochrey  colour,  encir- 
cled her  eyes.  Her  head  was  top-knotted.  The  wattles,  and 
comb,  which  was  very  small,  were  of  a  rather  intense  red;  the 
feet  were  bright  yellow ;  the  claws  small,  exceedingly  white/' 

Aldrovandi  gives  a  rich  collection  of  three-footed,  four-foot- 
ed, double-headed,  and  double-bodied  Fowls,  that  occurred  to 
him  in  the  course  of  his  laborious  researches. 

The  English  edition  of  Buffon,  informs  us  that  Jumpers 
are  the  same  as  Cambogia  Hens ;  which,  however,  does  not 
much  add  to  our  knowledge  of  the  variety. 

Bantams,  in  general,  are  great  devourers  of  some  of  the 
most  destructive  of  our  insects.  The  grub  of  the  Cock-chafer 
and  the  Crane-fly  are  especial  favourites  with  them.  Their 
Chicks  can  hardly  be  reared  so  well,  as  by  allowing  them  free 
access  to  minute  insect  dainties ;  hence,  the  suitableness  of  a 
worn-out  hotbed  for  them  during  the  first  month  or  six  weeks. 
They  are  thus  positively  serviceable  creatures  to  the  farmers,  as 
far  as  their  limited  range  extends,  and  still  more  so  to  the 


THE  SMOOTH-LEGGED  BANTAM.      327 

gardener  and  the  nurseryman.  Mr.  James  Cuthill,  of  Camber- 
well,  complains,  in  the  Gardeners'  Chronicle,  for  December  1, 
1849,  of  the  plague  of  woodlice,  from  which  he,  and  others 
similarly  engaged,  had  seriously  suffered.  "  It  matters  not," 
he  says,  "  whether  it  is  the  blossom  of  a  Cucumber,  or  that  of 
a  Pine-apple  that  comes  in  their  way,  the  fruit  of  a  Melon  or 
that  of  a  Cucumber.  I  have  lost  many  an  ounce  of  Straw- 
berries through  their  depredations,  and  also,  many  an  early 
Cucumber  that  would  have  brought  me  3s.  Qd.  in  the  market, 
The  means  I  have  employed  for  their  destruction  have  been 
toads,  which  are  effectual ;  but  they  are  expensive,  being  4s. 
a  dozen.  Many  of  them  die,  and  except  they  are  kept  in 
quantity,  the  woodlice  cannot  be  kept  down.  My  object  now, 
however,  is  to  state  that,  from  some  trials  I  have  made,  I  am 
convinced  that  woodlice  may  be  killed  by  the  use  of  Bantam 
Fowls.  This  plan  may  be  put  in  operation  by  any  one,  even 
at  this  time  of  the  year.  I  first  had  a  hundred  woodlice  caught 
at  a  rubbish  heap,  and  gave  them  to  three  Bantams ;  they  ate 
them  up  in  something  less  than  two  minutes.  I  had  these 
birds  in  attendance  when  turning  over  a  rubbish  heap,  and  not 
a  woodlouse  was  allowed  to  escape,  nor  any  insect,  the  Ban- 
tams devouring  every  thing.  It  will  thus  be  seen  that,  if 
Bantams  were  encouraged  and  brought  up  in  gardens,  they 
would  effect  much  good ;  and  I  am  of  opinion  that  it  will  soon 
be  found  as  necessary  to  keep  Bantams  to  kill  vermin,  as  it  is 
to  keep  cats  to  keep  down  rats  and  mice.  They  will  save 
various  garden  crops  from  injuries  to  which  they  would  be 
otherwise  exposed.  They  would  scratch  a  little,  to  be  sure,  but 
so  do  cats ;  and  if  the  smaller  kinds  of  Bantams  are  kept  (those 
about  the  size  of  a  Partridge)  their  scratching  would  do  little 
harm."  We  give  this  statement  as  being  the  experience  of  a 
practical  man. 


328 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

THE     DUNGHILL     FOWL. 

THIS  is  sometimes  called  the  Barn-door  Fowl,  and  is  cha~ 
racterized  by  a  thin,  serrated,  upright  comb,  and  wattles  pend- 
ing from  each  side  of  the  lower  mandible ;  the  tail  rises  in  an 
arch,  above  the  level  of  the  rump;  the  feathers  of  the  neck  and 
rump  are  long  and  line-like ;  and  the  colour  is  finely  variega- 
ted. The  female's  comb  and  wattles  are  smaller  than  those 
of  the  Cock ;  is,  herself,  less  in  size,  and  her  colours  are  more 
dull  and  sombre.  In  the  best  specimens  of  this  variety,  the 
legs  should  be  white  and  smooth,  like  those  of  the  Dorking, 
and  their  bodies  round  and  plump ;  being  mongrels,  they  breed 
all  colours,  and  are  usually  from  5  to  7  or  8  Ibs.  per  pair. 


THE  DOMINIQUE  FOWL. 

THIS  seems  to  be  a  tolerably  distinct  and  permanent  variety, 
about  the  size  of  the  common  Dunghill  Fowl.  Their  combs 
are  generally  double,  or  rose,  as  it  is  sometimes  called,  and 
the  wattles  small.  Their  plumage  presents  all  over  a  sort  of 
greenish  appearance,  from  a  peculiar  arrangement  of  white  and 
blue  feathers,  which  is  the  chief  characteristic  of  the  variety. 
They  are  hardy,  excellent  layers,  and  capital  incubators.  I 
would  use  them  in  preference  to  any  other  for  hatching  out  the 
Eggs  of  the  larger  kinds. 


CHICKEN    COOP.  329 

Other  varieties  of  the  Domestic  Fowl  there  are,  which  it  ig 
not  deemed  necessary  particularly  to  notice,  as  the  Adrian 
Fowl,  of  which  Aristotle  says,  they  lay  "everyday,  and  some- 
times two  Eggs  a  day,"  the  Sausevere  Fowl,  the  Alexandria, 
the  Carux,  the  Lonabardy,  the  Media,  the  Rhodes,  the  English 
Dwarf  and  Raven,  the  Widow  Hen,  and  the  French  large- 
footed  Fowl.  Those  which  we  deem  the  best  have  been,  we 
hope,  accurately  described,  and  their  several  qualities  noticed; 
and  it  now  only  remains  to  say,  that  should  this  trea- 
tise ever  reach  a  second  edition,  all  Fowls  with  which  we 
meanwhile  become  acquainted,  possessing  qualities  worthy  of 
notice,  shall  find  a  place  in  the  work. 


COLONEL  JAQUES'S  CHICKEN  COOP. 

The  following  extract  of  a  letter,  received  from  my  friend, 
H.  L.  Devereux,  Esq.,  of  Boston,  will  show  the  fancier  the 
success  with  which  Chickens  may  be  raised  by  an  artificial 
mother,  and  also  give  a  capital  idea  of  the  right  sort  of  coop  for 
young  Chickens,  whether  to  be  raised  with,  or  without  their 
natural  mother.  He  says  : — 

I  will  now  say  a  few  words  about  Chicks  and  Chickens, 
which,  if  you  think  worthy,  you  are  at  liberty  to  insert  in  your 
forthcoming  book.  In  all  the  Poultry  books  I  have  seen,  there 
are  very  poor  specimens  of  "  chicken  coops,"  some  with  a  bar- 
rel turned  down,  and  the  poor  Hen  tied  by  the  leg ;  others, 
with  a  coop  shaped  like  a  Major's  cocked-hat;  not  one  of  them 
properly  answering  the  purpose  for  which  they  are  intended. 
The  following  drawing,  which  I  send  you,  is  from  the  original, 
first  got  up  by  that  veteran  breeder,  Col.  Samuel  Jaques,  of 
Ten  Hills  Farm.  It  is  light,  easy  to  be  removed  from  one 
place  to  another  every  day,  or  as  often  as  you  please.  It  has 
a  tight,  and  an  open  part,  answering  the  double  purpose  of 
setting  the  Hen,  and  keeping  her  and  the  Chicks  in;  until  they 

28* 


330 


CHICKEN     COOP. 


are  able  to  take  care  of  themselves.  The  dimensions  are  for 
the  tight  part,  IS  inches  high  on  the  back,  rising  to  2*2  front, 
and  18  inches  each  way  on  the  bottom,  with  holes  bored  to 
admit  air.  The  top  has  a  lid  to  open,  and  a  slide  in  front,  to 
shut  in  the  Hen.  The  front  or  open  part  may  be  3  to  6  feet 
long,  slatted  with  laths,  with  a  hole  cut  through  the  bottom, 
for  the  Hen  to  scratch  in. 


Again,  I  think  Chickens  can  be  raised  as  well  without  as 
with  a  Hen,  even  though  you  take  the  Chicks  away  in  an  hour 
or  less  after  coming  from  the  shell.  Some  of  my  handsomest 
Pullets  were  raised  this  past  season  without  a  Hen.  In  order 
to  do  this,  you  want  a  small  coop,  built  in  a  "  lean-to"  shape, 
3  to  5  feet  long,  high  and  wide  in  proportion,  with  a  small  door 
in  front,  and  two  squares  of  glass  to  admit  light  and  sun,  when 
cold  and  rainy.  A  piece  of  sheepskin,  with  the  wool  on,  nailed 
to  a  board,  would  answer  for  them  to  run  under  and  get  warm. 
A  coop  of  this  description  was  shown  at  the  Norfolk  County  Fair, 
in  September  last,  by  Mr.  White,  of  Randolph,  invented  and 
made  by  Mr.  Edwin  Allyn,  of  Boston. 


EARLY   CHICKENS. 


The  importance  of  early  Chickens,  and  the  method  of  rear- 
ing them,  are  plainly  set  forth  in  the  following  extract,  which 
I  make  from  a  letter  receded  from  my  friend,  E.  R.  Cope,  Esq. 
He  says : — 


EARLY     CHICKENS.  331 

There  can  be  no  debate  about  the  importance  of  hatching 
out  Chickens  early  in  the  season,  and  it  is  equally  important 
to  the  farmer,  who  raises  for  profit,  and  the  "  Fancier/'  who 
desires  to  show  some  fine  specimens  each  year. 

It  is  well  known  that  "  spring  Chickens"  always  command 
a  high  price,  and  there  is  rarely  a  supply  to  be  obtained.  You 
have  doubtless  seen,  in  the  month  of  June,  pairs  of  birds  ex- 
posed for  sale,  which,  upon  inquiry,  you  found  to  be  '  spring 
Chickens/  and  the  price  seventy-Jive  cents  or  upwards  per  pair. 
These  Chicks  were  probably  hatched  out  in  the  month  of 
March  or  April ;  and,  of  course,  the  owner  had  very  little  time 
to  put  flesh  upon  their  bones,  to  say  nothing  of  fat :  still  they 
were  worth  in  the  market,  seventy-Jive  cents.  Now,  suppose  for 
a  moment,  the  birth  of  these  Chickens  could  be  dated  back  to 
January,  or  even  earlier,  and  brought  to  market  in  May  or 
June,  plump  and  fat  as  Reed  Birds.  We  would  not  have  been 
compelled  to  inquire  of  our  friend  the  farmer,  what  description 
of  bird  he  had  for  sale,  for  their  well-defined  proportions 
would  have,  at  the  first  glance,  informed  you  to  what  species 
they  belonged;  and  it  is  difficult  to  say  what  price  you  would 
have  been  asked  to  pay  for  them. 

But,  asks  our  friend  the  farmer,  how  am  I  to  raise  Chickens 
in  the  winter  months  ?  I  will  tell  you,  my  friend ;  and  when 
you  hear  my  answer,  you  will  wonder  you  never  thought  of  the 
same  plan  before.  Place  a  small  stove  in  your  chicken-house, 
which  can  be  heated  with  chips  and  wood,  that  otherwise  might 
rot  around  your  wood-pile ;  and,  by  this  means,  you  can  keep 
up  a  temperature  of  55  degrees,  and  raise  Chickens  just  as 
well  (better,  in  my  opinion,  and  with  much  less  loss,  than 
when  allowed  to  roam  through  the  wet  grass  in  spring  and 
summer,)  as  later  in  the  season.  Then  again,  those  Fowls*  you 


*  Good  Shanghae  or  Cochin  China  fowls  will  begin  to  lay  when 
about  five  and  a  half  or  six  months  old.  This  with  great  certainty, 
especially  if  the  season  be  favourable. — Ed. 


332  EARLY     CHICKENS. 

raise  to  fatten  for  winter  sales,  if  hatched  thus  early,  will  com 
inence  laying  about  September,  and  produce  you  Eggs,  at  a 
time  when  they  command  the  best  price. 

A  word  to  the  Fancier  : — If  you  adopt  the  system  of  early 
hatching,  you  will  see  the  advantage  of  it  in  the  extra  size 
your  Fowls  attain  the  first  season.  You  will  not  be  subject  to 
the  vexation  of  seeing  your  young  Chicks  die  off,  one  by  one, 
when  exposed  to  the  hot  sun  of  July,  August,  and  September ; 
for  they  will  have  attained  size  and  strength  to  bear  it.  You 
have  probably  had  some  Chickens  out  as  early  as  April,  and  if  so, 
have  you  not  observed  how  much  better  they  thrived  than  those 
clutches  hatched  out  two  or  three  months  later  ?  And  then, 
when  these  April  Fowls  were  nine  months  old,  have  you 
weighed  them  ?  and  also,  when  your  June  Fowls  reached  the 
same  age,  did  you  weigh  them,  and  compare  the  weights  ?  Lest 
you  did  not  do  so,  I  will  tell  you  what  would  have  been  the 
result :  the  early  Fowls  would  have  weighed  twenty -five  per 
cent,  heavier  than  the  late  ones ;  and  I  am  well  satisfied,  if  the 
experiment  had  been  tried  with  January  and  June  Fowls,  the 
result  would  have  been  thirty-three  per  cent,  in  favour  of  the 
former. 

Being  fully  satisfied  of  the  importance  of  early  hatching,  I 
this  year  temporarily  arranged  a  small  room  for  the  purpose, 
by  placing  in  it  an  air-tight  wood-stove,  and  a  thermometer. 
Around  the  stove,  and  fast  to  the  floor,  I  nailed  strips  of 
boards,  four  inches  wide,  and  filled  the  enclosure  thus  formed 
with  clean  sand,  for  the  Chickens  to  dust  themselves  in.  By 
the  time  these  arrangements  were  completed,  (Nov.  2d,  1850,) 
I  had  a  clutch  of  eight  Shanghae  Chicks  nearly  ready  to  take 
possession  of  the  room.  I  would  here  remark,  that  I  do  not 
set  my  Hens  in  this,  warm  room,  but  suffer  them  to  hatch  out 
their  Eggs  in  the  chicken-house,  where  I  keep  no  fire. 

On  January  16th,  1851,  I  had  another  clutch  of  Chicks, 
(Royal  Cochin  China's,  eight  in  number,)  ready  to  remove  to 


EARLY     CHICKENS. 

the  warm  room ;  and  within  a  week,  I  expect  to  have  two  more 
clutches  hatched  out. 

In  my  stove-room,  I  am  careful  to  have  the  temperature 
kept  regularly  at  fifty-five  degrees  ;*  and,  by  means  of  my  air- 
tight stove  this  is  easily  accomplished. 

My  young  stock  thrives  remarkably  well,  and,  so  far,  I  have 
lost  but  one  Chick,  and  this  was  from  an  accident,  and  not  dis- 
ease. Having  access  to  the  sand-bath  before  described,  at  all 
times,  they  kept  themselves  entirely  free  from  vermin,  and, 
in  consequence,  feather  and  generally  improve  faster  than  is 
usually  the  case. 

By  giving  this  subject  attention  early  in  the  season,  say, 
commence  setting  Hens  the  early  part  of  October,  I  am  well 
persuaded  any  one  may  raise  one  to  two  hundred  Chickens, 
that  can  readily  be  sold  in  the  market  for  seventy-five  cents  to 
one  dollar  per  pair,  in  the  months  of  March,  April,  May,  and 
June.  To  a  farmer,  there  will  be  no  additional  cost  :%s  before 
remarked,  the  waste  pieces  around  his  wood  pile  will  be  ample 
fuel ;  and  he  will  experience  no  difficulty  in  finding  one  of  his 
men  ready  to  undertake  the  superintendence  of  the  room,  (it  is 
a  nice,  warm  job  for  cold  weather,)  and  also  to  attend  to  the 
little  business  he  is  expected  to  look  after  during  the  winter. 

The  only  additional  cost  to  the  Fancier,  will  be  six  dollars  for 
one  cord  of  hickory  wood,  which  will  be  all  he  can  consume  in 
an  air-tight  stove  during  the  winter,  or,  at  all  events,  the  above- 
named  quantity  of  fuel  will  keep  a  room  twelve  feet  square 
at  a  temperature  of  fifty -five  degrees  through  the  winter  months. 

My  only  object  in  writing  the  above,  is  to  endeavour  to  at- 
tract the  attention  of  those  who  raise  Fowls  for  profit  or  fancy 
to  a  branch  of  the  subject  heretofore  much  neglected,  and  if 
I  succeed,  even  to  a  small  extent,  I  will  feel  abundantly  com- 
pensated. 

*  I  should  prefer  a  temperature  of  not  less  than  60°  nor  more 
than  70°.— Ed. 


334  THE      PORK-TAILED     COCK. 

THE  GALLUS  BANKIVA,  OR  THE  BANKIVA  COCK, 

(See  Frontispiece.) 

Is  nearly  twice  as  large  as  our  common  Bantams.  There  in 
no  down  around  his  eyes  or  upon  his  throat;  his  comb  is 
ample,  irregular,  and  deeply  serrated  ;  and  the  wattles  are  well 
let  down  from  each  side  of  the  lower  mandible.  He  has  neck 
and  rump  hackles,  long  and  slender,  of  a  brilliant  golden-orange 
colour ;  the  upper  part  of  the  back  is  bluish  black ;  the  centre 
and  lesser  wing-coverts  are  of  a  rich  chestnut  colour;  the  tail 
is  black,  with  rich  green,  and  blue  reflections ;  and  all  the  un- 
der parts  are  of  a  black  or  darkish  hue.  The  specimen  por- 
trayed, as  well  as  the  others  forming  the  frontispiece,  were 
presented  to  the  Academy  of  Natural  Science,  in  Philadelphia, 
by  Thos.  B.  Wilson,  Esq.  Its  habitat  is  the  East  Indies. 


THE  GALLUS  FURCATUS,  OR  THE   FORK-TAILED  COCK, 
( Vide  Frontispiece.) 

WAS  first  described  by  M.  Temminck,  in  1813.  It  is  nearly 
two  feet  in  length  from  beak  to  the  extremity  of  the  tail. 
The  cheeks  are  bare,  and  the  head  differs  from  the  Gallus 
Bankiva,  in  being  furnished  with  a  simple  entire  comb,  and 
the  under  mandible  and  throat  with  a  single  large  wattle, 
springing  from  the  centre — all  of  a  brilliant  red  colour.  It 
differs  from  other  species  in  the  form  of  the  neck-hackles  par- 
ticularly. They  are  remarkably  short  and  round,  and  of  the 
hue  given  in  the  figure.  The  tail  is  usually  carried  more  in  a 
line  with  the  body  than  in  the  Bankiva  Fowl,  and  has  a 
slightly  forked  form ;  hence  the  name.  The  beak,  legs,  and 
feet  are  yellow.  It  is  said  to  be  abundant  in  Java,  and  is 
often  seen  upon  the  edges  of 'woods  and  jungles,  but,  upon 
the  slightest  alarm,  runs  for  cover. 


SONNERAT'S   WILD   COCK.  335 

GALLUS  SONNERATII,  OR  SONNERAT'S  WILD  COCK, 

(  Vide  Frontispiece.) 

HAS  been  dedicated  by  M.  Temminck,  to  its  discoverer.    The 
first  notice  we  find  of  it  which  can  be  trusted,  is  in  the  voyage 
to  India,  by  that  traveller.     He  was  of  the  opinion  that  this 
Wild  Cock  was  the  stock  from  which  our  Domestic  Fowls  are 
derived.     But  this  is  scarcely  possible ;  for,  not  to  speak  of 
the  difference  in  size,  the  plumage  is  quite  different;  indeed, 
none  of  the  domestic  races  in  India  bear  the  least  resemblance 
to  it.     It  has  hitherto,  so  far  as  I  know,  proved  un tameable. 
A  gentleman  of  my  acquaintance,  who  was  some  ten  years  in 
the  British  service  in  India,  informs  me  that  on  the  return 
home,  they  had  some  two  or  three  hundred  "  Wild  Cocks,"  on 
board,  all  of  which  refused  to  eat,  and  died  in  a  few  weeks 
out.     It  is  about  two-thirds  the  size  of  our  smallest  Dunghill 
Fowls;    in  model  is   much  more  slender  and  graceful;  the 
comb  is  single,  large,  slightly  indented,  and  the  wattles  are 
double,  and  well  developed.     But  the  most  singular  part  of 
this  bird  is  its'  plumage.     The   stem,  or   shaft  of  the  long 
hackle  feathers  is  of  a  bright  golden-orange  hue,  and,  in  the 
centre,  and  at  the  tip,  dilate  into  a  flat  horny  plate,  similar  to 
what  is  seen  in  the  wings  and  tail  of  the  Bohemian  Wax- 
wing.      Their   appearance    is   both   singular   and  beautiful. 
The  centre  of  the  back,  the  throat,  breast,  belly,  and  thighs 
are  of  a  deep  and  rich  gray,  having  the  shafts  and  edges  of  a 
paler  tint.     The  tail  is  of  a  rich  and  deep  green  ;  and  the  beak, 
legs,  and  feet  are  yellow.     About  the  females,  there  is  nothing 
peculiar  that  may  not  be  seen  on  inspection  of  the  portraits, 
which  are  from  nature,  and  singularly  faithful.     Indeed,  mi- 
nute descriptions  throughout  the  work  has  been  rendered  unne- 
cessary by  the  distinguished  artist. 

The  peculiar  structure  of  the  neck-hackles  of  the  Gallua 


336  SONNERAT'S  WILD  COCK. 

Sonneratii  will  be  seen  by  an  inspection  of  the  cuts  on  the 
opposite  page.  I  procured  feathers  from  the  neck  of  the  G-al- 
lus  Bankiva,  and  also  from  that  of  the  Gallus  Furcatus,  as 
well  as  from  the  Wild  Cock  of  Sonnerat,  so  that  the  reader 
may  satisfy  himself  of  two  things :  first,  that  the  three  birds 
in  question  are  quite  distinct  varieties ;  and  that  it  is  scarcely 
possible  they  are  in  any  way  the  progenitors  of  our  Domestic 
Poultry,  as  some  have  asserted.  That  the  Wild  Fowls  do  not 
mix  or  cross  with  each  other,  is  obvious  from  the  fact  that 
they  are  all  remarkably  uniform  in  size,  plumage,  and  general 
appearance.  The  gentleman  above  referred  to,  told  me  that 
the  two  or  three  hundred  on  shipboard  were  all  as  much  alike 
as  any  flock  of  wild  birds  he  ever  saw. 

The  female  of  Sonnerat' s  Cock  is  about  one-third  less  than 
he;  she  is  rather  a  plain-looking  bird,  having  scarcely  any 
comb  or  wattles.  On  the  back,  she  is  of  a  dirty  brown-colour ; 
and  on  the  breast,  the  feathers  are  of  a  dull  white,  each  laced 
with  black  or  brown.  The  plumage  has  no  trace  of  the  flat 
horny  structure  which  adorns  the  neck-hackles  of  the  male ;  nor 
is  any  part  of  his  plumage  so,  except  the  neck ;  at  least,  the 
rump-hackles*  have  it  only,  if  at  all,  in  a  very  slight  degree. 
I  could  not,  on  .inspection,  perceive  that  they  had  any. 

The  Bankiva  Hen  is  scarcely  so  large  as  Sonnerat's,  and  is 
a  still  plainer  looking  bird ;  her  prevailing  colour  is  brown, 
the  breast  is  of  a  rather  livelier  hue  than  the  tack ;  and  she 
also  has  little  or  no  show  of  comb  or  wattles. 

Doctor  Latham  says,  that  Sonnerat's  Cock  is  by  far  the  boldr 
est  and  strongest,  in  proportion  to  his  size,  of  any  other ;  and 
that  the  Cock-fighters  of  Hindostan  anxiously  seek  him,  as  he 
rarely  fails  to  secure  a  victory  over  the  largest  Game  Cocks. 

The  specimens  from  which  the  drawings  were  made,  were 
purchased  by  Thomas  B.  Wilson,  Esq.,  of  Pennsylvania,  at  the 
sale  of  the  Duke  of  Rivoli's  collection,  and  by  him  presented 
to  the  Academy  of  Natural  Science  of  Philadelphia. 

*  On  clost;v  inspection  I  found  the  rump  hackles  so  characterized  al«o. 


SONNERAT'S   WILD  COCK. 


337 


The  neck-hackle  of  the  Gallus  Bankiva  is  of  usual  length, 
but  is  distinguished  by  having  the  tip  nearly  square,  and  edged 
slightly  with  black,  thus  proving  it,  like  the  Gallus  Sonneratii, 
to  be  a  distinct  variety.  There  is  nothing  peculiar  in  the  rump 
hackle.  The  neck  and  rump-hackles  of  the  Gallus  Furcatus 
are  quite  peculiar,  being  very  broad  and  short,  giving  to  the 
plumage  quite  an  imbricated  appearance,  unlike  that  of  any 
other  species. 


Neck-fiacJcles   cf    G. 
Furcatus. 


Neck-Jiackles   of  G.     Neck-hacldes     of    G. 
Bankiva.  Sonneratii. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

OAPONIZING     FOWLS. 

THE  following  history  and  method  of  caponizing,  I  extract 
from  Mr.  Brown's  Treatise  on  Domestic  Poultry.  He  says  : — 

The  art  of  making  Capons  has  been  practised  from  the  ear- 
liest antiquity,  in  Greece,  India,  and  China,  for  the  purpose 
of  improving  the  flesh  of  birds  for  the  table,  in  tenderness, 
juiciness,  and  flavour.  But  Capons,  in  point  of  fact,  are 
getting  out  of  date,  and  are  taking  rank  with  oxen  roasted 
whole,  and  other  barbarisms  of  the  middle  ages.  They  are 
now  rarely  to  be  found  in  the  London  markets ;  and  when 
procurable,  are  very  expensive,  but  not  unjustly  so,  when  it  is 
to  be  remembered  that  two  or  three  Chickens  may  have  been 
sacrificed,  before  ten  Capons  have  been  nursed  into  conva- 
lescence. That  they  may  be  had  in  considerable  abundance, 
in  China,  the  south  of  Europe,  and,  in  a  few  instances,  in  our 
own  country,  is  not  to  be  denied ;  but  wherever  they  may  be 
found,  they  cannot  be  classed  otherwise  than  in  the  list  of  un- 
called-for luxuries,  of  unnecessarily  unnatural  viands,  such  as 
diseased  goose-liver  pies,  fish  crimped  alive,  or  even  those 
frightful  and  portentous  dishes  recalled  by  Dr.  Kitchener,  in 
the  "Cook's  Oracle."  One  thing,  however,  may  be  harm- 
lessly resuscitated.  As 

"the  toad  ugly  and  venomous, 

Wears  yet  a  precious  jewel  in  his  head," 


CAPONIZING     FOWLS.  339 

so  the  Capon,  which,  though  ugly,  is  not  half  venomous 
enough,  if  we  can  be  made  to  believe  all  we  read,  carries  a 
valuable  gem  in  the  part  that  is  usually  antithetically  opposed 
to  the  head. 


Extracting  a  Crystal  from  a  Caporis  Liver. 

From  a  very  curious  and  ancient  work  on  natural  history, 
in  my  possession,  entitled  "  Ortus  Sanitatis,"  (the  Garden  of 
Health,)  printed  and  published  at  Ausburg,  in  1485,  by  Joan. 
Cuba,  a  Dutch  botanist,  who  travelled  through  Greece  and  the 
East,  I  give  above,  a  fac-simile  of  a  wood  engraving,  repre- 
senting the  act  of  extracting  a  precious  stone  from  the  liver  of 
a  Capon.  "  The  Allectorius,"  says  the  author,  "  is  a  stone 
like  a  crystal,  or  limpid  water.  It  is  found  in  the  liver  of  a 
Capon  at  the  age  of  three  years.  It  is  never  larger  than  a 


340  CAPONIZING    FOWLS. 

bean.  After  this  stone  is  formed  in  the  Capon,  he  never 
drinks."  The  Ortus  Sanitatis  further  informs  us  that  ladies, 
who  wear  the  jewel  Allectorius,  are  sure  to  be  pleasing  in  the 
eyes  of  their  husbands. 

Aldrovandi  tells  us  that  in  Capons,  which  were  more  the 
fashion  in  his  day  thai}  they  are  now,  the  hackle,  the  tail- 
feathers,  and  the  spurs  grew  to  a  much  greater  length  than 
in  Cocks. 

In  England,  the  art  of  making  Capons,  it  seems,  is  no  new 
thing,  as  the  business  of  which  formerly  devolved  upon  females; 
for  old  Leonard  Mascall,  in  his  minute  directions  for  the  ope- 
ration, uses  the  feminine  gender  throughout. 

MODE   OP   MAKING   CAPONS   AND   POULARDES. 

IF  young  Cocks  are  emasculated,  so  as  to  deprive  them  of 
their  natural  reproductive  feelings,  it  has  a  wonderful  effect  on 
their  condition,  rendering  them  also  more  easy  to  fatten. 
They  are  never  afterwards  subject  to  the  natural  process  of 
moulting,*  and  lose  their  previous  strong  shrill  voice.  They 
become  dull  and  melancholy,  are  detested  by  the  Hens,  buffeted 
about  by  the  other  Cocks,  and  would  soon  fall  victims  to  their 
enmity,  were  they  not  removed  to  perform  the  remaining  busi- 
ness of  their  lives,  "  to  eat,  drink,  sleep,  and  get  fat,"  with  all 
possible  expedition.  In  this  state,  they  are  called  f(  Capons." 

In  a  similar  manner,  young  Pullets  may  be  caponized,  so 
as  to  deprive  them  of  their  reproductive  powers,  and  render 
them  more  easy  tcT  fatten.  When  thus  operated  upon,  they 
are  usually,  though  improperly,  termed  "Hen  Capons/'  but 
the  French  word,  "poularde"  is  much  to  be  preferred. 

In  performing  the  operation,  the  first  thing  to  be  considered 
is  the  purchase  or  procurement  of  the  requisite  instruments. 

*  I  am  constrained  to  question  this. — Ed. 


CAPONIZING     FOWLS. 


341 


Those  most  approved  of  by  skilful  operators  consist  of  two 
five  or  seven-pound  weights  for  confining  the  Fowls ;  a  scalpel, 


Scalpel. 

for  cutting  open  the  thin  skin  which  envelopes  the  testicles; 
a  silver  retractor,  for  stretching  open  the  wound  wide  enough 


Retractor. 


to  operate  within ;  a  pair  of  spring  forceps,  denoted  by  the 
letter  a,  in  the  following  page,  having  a  sharp,  cutting  edge, 
resembling  that  of  a  chisel,  with  a  bevel  half  an  inch  in  its 
greatest  width,  for  making  the  incision,  and  securing  the  thin 


29* 


342 


CAPONIZING     FOWLS. 


membrane  covering  the  testicles  j  q 
a  spoon-shaped  instrument }  b}  with 
a  sharp  hook  at  one  end,  for  push- 
ing and  removing  the  testicles, 
adjusting  the  loop,  and  to  assist 
in  tearing  open  the  tender  cover- 
ing of  the  testicles;  and  a  double 
silver  canula,  c,  for  containing 
the  two  ends  of  horse-hair  or 
fibre,  constituting  the  loop. 

The  cost  of  these  instruments  in 
New  York,  is  nearly  as  follows : — 


Scalpel,  .... 
Silver  Retractor,  .  . 
Spring  Forceps,  .  . 
Spoon,  with  hook  .  . 
Double  Silver  Canula, 


1.50 
0.87J 
0.75 
1.75 

$5.50 


C 


Those  who  are  not  particularly 
nice  about  the  matter,  may  use 
a  cheap  penknife  instead  of  the 
scalpel,  and  may  obtain  the  other 
instruments  of  a  cheaper  con- 
struction, so  that  the  whole  will 
not  cost  more  than  half  the  sum 
indicated  above. 

The  Cockerels  intended  for  Ca- 
pons   should   be    of  the    largest 
breeds,  as  the  Dorking,  the  Bucks 
County,    Cochin    China,    or    the 
great  Malay.     They  may  be  ope-  | 
rated  upon  at  any  time  after  they 
are  a  month  old,  though  at  an  age  of  from  two  to  three 
months  is  considered  preferable.     If  possible,  it  should  be 


a 


CAPONIZING    FOWLS.  343 

done  before  July,  as  it  has  been  remarked  that  Capons  made 
later  than  this,  never  prove  so  fine. 


Cockerel  confined  for  Caponizing. 

All  things  being  in  readiness,  the  first  step  to  be  taken  is 
to  confine  the  Fowl  to  a  table  or  board,  by  laying  him  with 
the  left  side  downward,  the  wings  drawn  behind  the  rump, 
the  legs  extended  backward,  with  the  upper  one  furthest  drawn 
out,  and  the  head  and  neck  left  perfectly  free,  as  denoted  in 
the  above  cut.  The  feathers  are  next  to  be  plucked  from  the 
right  side,  near  the  hip  joint,  on  a  line  with,  and  between,  the 
joint  of  the  shoulder,  as  at  a.  The  space  uncovered,  may  be 
from  an  inch  to  an  inch  and  a  half  in  diameter,  according  to 
the  size  of  the  bird. 

After  drawing  the  skin  off  the  part,  backward,  so  that,  when 
left  to  itself  when  the  operation  is  completed,  it  will  cover  the 
wound  in  the  flesh,  make  an  incision  with  the  bevel-edged 
knife,  at  the  end  of  the  forceps,  between  the  last  two  ribs, 
commencing  about  an  inch  from  the  back-bone,  and  extending 
it  obliquely  downward,  from  an  inch  to  an  inch  and  a  half, 
just  cutting  deep  enough  to  separate  the  ribs,  taking  due  caie 
not  to  wound  the  intestines. 


344  CAPONIZING    FOWL. 

Then,  adjust  and  apply  the  retractor  by  means  of  the  small 
thumb  screw,  and  stretch  apart  the  wound  sufficiently  wide  to 
afford  room  to  examine  the  parts  to  be  removed. 

Then,  with  the  scalpel  or  a  sharp  penknife,  carefully  cut 
open  the  skin,  or  membrane,  covering  the  intestines,  which,  if 
not  sufficiently  drawn  up,  in  consequence  of  the  previous  con- 
finement, may  be  pushed  forward  towards  the  breast-bone,  by 
means  of  the  bowl  of  the  spoon-shaped  instrument,  or,  what 
would  answer  equally  well,  with  the  handle  of  a  teaspoon. 

As  the  testicles  are  exposed  to  view,  they  will  be  found  to  be 
connected  with  the  back  and  sides,  by  means  of  a  thin  mem- 
brane, or  skin,  which  passes  over  them.  This  tender  covering 
must  then  be  seized  with  the  forceps,  and  torn  open  with  the 
sharp-pointed  hook  at  the  small  end  of  the  spoon-shaped  in- 
strument, after  which,  with  the  left  hand,  introduce  the  bowl 
of  the  spoon  under  the  lower,  or  left  testicle,  which  is  generally 
a  little  nearer  to  the  rump  than  the  right  one. 

Then  take  the  double  canula,  adjust  the  hair  loop,  and,  with 
the  right  hand,  pass  the  loop  over  the  small  hooked  end  of  the 
spoon,  running  it  down  under  the  bowl  of  the  spoon  containing 
the  testicle,  so  as  to  bring  the  loop  to  act  upon  the  parts  which 
connects  the  testicle  to  the  back.  Then,  by  drawing  the  ends 
of  the  hair-loop  backward  and  forward,  and  at  the  same  time 
pushing  the  lower  end  of  the  tube,  or  canula,  towards  the  rump 
of  the  Fowl,  the  cord,  or  fastening  of  the  testicle  is  severed. 

A  similar  process  is  then  to  be  repeated  with  the  uppermost 
or  right  testicle,  after  which,  any  remains  of  the  testicles,  to- 
gether with  the  blood  at,  or  around,  the  bottom  of  the  wound, 
must  be  scooped  out  with  the  bowl  of  the  spoon.  The  reason 
for  cutting  out  the  left  testicle  first,  is  to  prevent  the  blood, 
which  may  issue,  from  covering  the  one  remaining,  and  render- 
ing it  more  difficult  to  be  seen. 

After  the  preceding  operation  is  performed,  which,  if  skil- 
fully done,  occupies  only  a  few  minutes,  the  retractor  is  taken 


CAPONIZING    FOWL.  345 

out,  the  skin  of  the  Fowl  drawn  over  the  wound,  which  may 
be  covered  with  the  feathers  that  were  plucked  off"  at  the  com- 
mencement, and  the  Chicken  may  be  released.  As  soon  as  it 
is  liberated,  it  will  eagerly  partake  of  grain  or  other  food,  and 
in  a  few  days  be  restored  to  health. 

In  some  Fowls,  the  fore  part  of  the  thigh  covers  the  two 
hindmost  ribs,  in  which  case,  care  must  be  observed  to  draw 
the  fleshy  part  of  the  thigh  well  back,  to  prevent  it  from  be- 
ing cut;  as  otherwise,  the  operation  to  be  performed  might 
be  liable  to  lame  the  Fowl,  or  even  cause  its  death. 

For  loops,  nothing  answers  better  than  the  fibre  of  a  cocoa- 
nut  husk,  which  is  rough,  and  readily  separates  the  testicles 
by  sawing.  The  next  best  substance  for  the  purpose,  is  the 
hair  of  a  horse's  mane  or  tail. 

The  usual  method  of  making  Poulardes,  in  France,  is,  to  ex- 
tirpate the  egg  cluster,  or  ovaria,  in  a  similar  manner  as  the 
testicles  are  extracted  from  the  young  Cocks ;  but  it  has  been 
shown  by  Mr.  Yarrell,  in  the  "  Transactions  of  the  Royal  So- 
ciety," that  it  is  quite  sufficient  merely  to  cut  across  the  Egg, 
tube,  or  oviduct,  with  a  sharp  knife.  Poulardes  may  otherwise 
be  treated  in  the  same  manner  as  the  Capons. 

Capons  are  fattened  precisely  in  the  same  manner  as  other 
Fowls,  by  keeping  them  cooped  up  in  a  quiet,  dark  place,  and 
cramming,  or  otherwise  feeding  them  abundantly. 


346 


CHAPTER  XXL 

PEA     FOWL. 

IN  presenting  this  splendid  Bird  to  the  notice  of  the  reader, 
I  have  only  to  say,  that  Mr.  Croome  has  faithfully  and  beau- 
tifully portrayed  it,  and  that  Mr.  Dixon  admirably  describes 
it.  After  speaking  of  the  perfection  of  its  combination  of 
grace  and  beauty,  he  says  : — 

The  causes  which  disincline  many  persons  from  indulging 
themselves  with  the  daily  spectacle  of  this  inapproachable 
model  of  beauty,  are,  in  the  first  place,  the  depredations  that 
it  commits  upon  gardens.  For  this,  there  is  no  help.  The 
dislike  which  these  birds  have  to  enter  a  fowl-house,  and  their 
decided  determination  to  roost  on  trees  or  lofty  buildings,  pre- 
vents our  exercising  a  control  which  should  restrain  them  from 
mischief,  till  an  eye  can  be  kept  upon  their  movements.  At 
the  first  dawn,  or  at  the  most  unsuspected  moments,  they  will 
steal  off  to  their  work  of  plunder.  With  great  conveniences 
for  keeping  them  in  their  proper  places,  I  was  compelled  to 
choose  between  the  alternative  of  banishing  a  very  perfect  and 
familiar  pair,  or  of  depriving  my  children  of  strawberries.  A 
friend,  who  has  been  well  acquainted  with  their  habits  for 
years,  informs  me,  as  the  result  of  his  experience,  that  their 
cunning  is  such,  that,  if  frequently  driven  away  from  the  gar- 
den at  any  particular  hour  of  the  day  or  evening,  after  a  cer- 


JAVANESE    PEA    FOWL, 


PEA     FOWL.  347 

tain  time  they  will  never  be  found  there  at  that  special  hour, 
but  will  invariably  make  their  inroads  at  daybreak.  As  a 
last  resource,  I  have  tried  ejecting  them  with  every  mark  of 
scorn  and  insult,  such  as  'harsh  words,  the  cracking  of  whips, 
and  the  throwing  of  harmless  brooms.  Most  domestic  animals, 
and  I  believe  many  birds,  are  sensitive  of  disrespectful  usage, 
and  would  feel  as  a  severe  rebuke,  the  manner  in  which  they 
were  thus  turned  out.  But  Pea  Fowls  are  incorrigible  ma- 
rauders. - 

A  mansion,  therefore,  whose  fruit  and  vegetable  garden  is 
at  a  distance,  is  almost  the  only  place  where  they  can  be  kept 
without  daily  vexation.  The  injury  they  do  to  flowers  is  com- 
paratively trifling ;;  though,  like  the  Guinea  Fowl,  they  are 
great  eaters  of  buds,  cutting  them  out  from  the  axillae  of  leaves 
as  cleanly  as  a  surgeon's  dissecting-knife  would.  They  must 
also  have  a  dusting-hole,  which  is  large  and  unsightly;  but 
this  can  be  provided  for  them  in  some  out-of-the-way  nook ; 
and,  by  feeding  and  encouragement,  they  will  soon  be  taught 
to  dispose  themselves  into  a  tableau  vivant,  at  whatever  point 
of  view  the  tasteful  eye  may  deem  desirable.  No  one  with  a 
very  limited  range,  should  attempt  to  keep  them  at  all,  unless 
confined  in  an  aviary.  But,  where  they  can  be  kept  at  large, 
they  should  be  collected  in  considerable  numbers,  that  their 
dazzling  effect  may  be  as  impressive  as  possible.  Many  gar« 
denless  castles  and  country-houses  on  the  Continent  would  lose 
their  semi-barbarous  and  semi-ruinous  appearance,  by  employ- 
ing these  birds  as  an  embellishment.  For  they  are  not  less 
pleasing  to  the  eye  than  the  Stork,  which  is  so  much  encour- 
aged j  and  they  would  render  in  great  measure  the  same  ser- 
vices, namely,  the  destruction  of  small  reptiles,  with  the  advan- 
tage of  remaining  at  home  all  the  year  round.  Willughby 
gives  a  ludicrous  quotation  from  Johannes  Faber,  in  reference 
to  the  serpent-eating  propensities  of  the  Pea  Fowl,  which  is  too 
coarse,  both  in  idea  and  expression,  for  modern  republication, 


348  PEA    FOWL. 

though  not  otherwise  objectionable.  Something  of  the  kind  is 
popularly  believed,  perhaps  not  utterly  without  truth,  respec- 
ting Herons  and  Eels.  But  to  these  Continental  residences  it 
should  be  understood  that  no  vineyard  be  at  hand.  The  green- 
ness and  sourness  of  the  grapes,  which  caused  the  Fox  to  re- 
frain, would  be  but  a  weak  argument  with  them.  A  Peacock, 
that  was  suffered  to  go  at  large  in  the  dirty  back  lanes  of  a 
town,  struck  me  as  being  more  out  of  its  place  than  any  I  had 
ever  seen. 

A  charming  instance  of  the  ornamental  use  of  Pea  Fowl  was 
to  be  seen  a  dozen  years  ago,  (and  perhaps  may  still,)  at  the 
Palace  of  Caserta,  near  Naples.  There  is  an  English  garden,* 
admirably  laid  out,  on  a  slope  commanding  the  most  enchant- 
ing views  In  one  part  is  a  small  piece  of  water,  in  the  midst 
of  which  is  an  island  planted  with  trees  and  shrubs,  and  in- 
habited, by  numerous  Pea  Fowl.f  Of  course,  they  must  be 
pinioned,  to  prevent  their  escape.  My  own  birds  had  no  hesi- 
tation in  flying  to  and  fro,  in  order  to  visit  an  island  similarly 
situated,  and  which  is  cultivated  as  a  kitchen  garden.  People 
may  talk  about  Humming-birds,  Sun-birds,  Birds  of  Paradise, 


*  The  gravel  for  some  of  the  walks  was  brought  from  Kensington. 

f  Therefore  this  genus  of  Fowls  is  most  easily  kept  in  the  small 
woody  islands  which  lie  before  Italy.  For  since  they  can  neither  fly 
very  high  nor  for  a  long  distance,  and  since  there  is  no  fear  of  loss  by 
theives  or  vermin,  they  can  safely  go  at  large  without  a  keeper,  and 
find  themselves  the  greater  part  of  their  food.  The  Peahens,  indeed, 
as  if  freed  from  slavery,  will,  of  their  own  accord  feed  their  young 
with  greater  care ;  nor  should  their  keeper  do  more  than  call  the 
flock  toward  the  farm  at  a  certain  time  of  the  day  by  a  known  signal, 
and  throw  them  a  little  barley  as  they  assemble,  so  that  the  birds 
may  not  be  famished,  and  their  number  may  be  told.  But  the  op- 
portunity of  using  this  kind  of  landed  property  is  rare." — Columella, 
lib.  viii.  cap.  xi.  This  is  very  like  our  pheasantries  in  alder  and 
osier  carrs.  The  whole  chapter  is  curious  and  worth  reading. 


PEA     FOWL.  349 

or  any  other  feathered  beauty,  but  nothing  can  equal  the  mag- 
nificence of  a  Peacock  in  full  flight,  sweeping  across  a  sheet  of 
water,  or  glancing  in  the  sunbeams  among  the  topmost  branches 
of  a  fir-tree. 

A  second  objection  to  them  is  their  alleged  wanton  de- 
struetiveness  towards  the  young  of  other  Poultry,*  a  propen- 
sity respecting  which  I  have  heard  and  readf  such  contradic- 
tory statements,  that  they  can  only  be  reconciled  by  the  hy- 
pothesis that  the  Peacock  becomes  more  cruel  as  he  advances 
in  life,  and  also  that  males  of  this  species  vary  in  disposition ; 
that,  as  the  human  race  has  produced  examples  of  such  diverse 
tempers,  so  the  Peacock  family  includes  individuals  of  different 
degrees  of  blood-thirstiness.  My  own  bird,  three  years  old, 
was  perfectly  inoifensive  ;  others  have,  been  mentioned  to  me 
equally  pacific.  On  the  other  hand,  the  list  of  murders  un- 
doubtedly committed  is  long  and  heavy.  The  friend*  before 
mentioned  says,  "I  have  known  them. kill  from  twelve  to 
twenty  ducklings,  say  from  a  week  to  a  fortnight  old,  during 
one  day ;  but  if  they  came  across  a  brood  of  young  Chicks  or 
Ducklings  a  few  days  old,  they  would  destroy  the  whole  of 
them."  And  yet,  in  the  face  of  all  this  condemnatory  evidence,  t 


*  Columella  gives  a  fanciful  reason  for  keeping  Hens  that  have  fa- 
milies of  Chickens  from  coming  near  Peahens  that  have  broods,  which 
relieves  the  latter  at  least  from  all  blame.  "Authors  are  sufficiently 
agreed  that  other  Hens,  which  are  rearing  young  of  their  own  kind, 
ought  not  to  feed  in  the  same  place.  For  after  they  have  seen  the 
brood  of  the  Pea  Fowl,  they  cease  to  cherish  their  own,  and  desert 
them  while  still  immature,  clearly  hating  them,  because  neither  in 
size  nor  beauty  are  they  comparable  to  the  Peacock." — Book  vii., 
chap.  xi. 

f  See  the  "  Penny  Cyclopedia,"  article  Pavonidee :  "  I  have  never 
kept  Pea  Fowl,  nor  seen  Chicks  just  hatched,  but  have  witnessed  the 
abominable  cruelty  of  the  father  of  the  family  in  knocking  a  whole 
brood  of  them  on  the  head,  when  nearly  a  quarter  grown." — H.  H. 


350  PEA     FOWL. 

we  now  and  then  see  a  favourite  bird,  with  neck  of  lapis  lazuli, 
back  of  emerald,  wings  of  tortoise-shell,  and  tail  outshining  the 
rainbow,  in  some  old-fashioned  farm-yard,  the  pet  of  his  mis- 
tress, who  is  perhaps  the  most  successful  Poultry-woman  in  the 
neighbourhood,  and  whose  stock  shows  no  sign  of  any  mur- 
derous thinning.  The  Peahen,  who,  when  she  has  Eggs  or 
young,  seems  really  a  more  guilty  party,  is  not  in  general  even 
suspected.  So  true  is  it  that  one  man  may  steal  a  horse,  while 
another  must  not  look  over  the  hedge. 

The  Hen  does  not  lay  till  her  third  summer ;  but  she  then 
seems  to  have  an  instinctive  fear  of  her  mate,  manifested  by 
the  secresy  with  which  she  selects  the  place  for  her  nest;  nor, 
if  the  Eggs  are  disturbed,  will  she  go  there  again.  She  lays 
from  four  or  five  to  seven.  If  these  are  taken,  she  will  fre- 
quently lay  a  second  time  during  the  summer,  and  the  plan  is 
to  be  recommended  to  those  who  are  anxious  to  increase  their 
stock.  She  sits  from  twenty-seven  to  twenty-nine  days.  A 
common  Hen  will  hatch  and  rear  the  young ;  but  the  same 
objection  lies  against  her  performing  that  office,  except  in 
very  fine  long  summers,  for  the  Pea  Fowl  as  for  Turkeys ; 
namely,  that  the  poults  require  to  be  brooded  longer  than  the 
Hen  is  able  convenienty  to  do  so.  A  Turkey  will  prove  a 
much  better  foster-mother  in  every  respect.  The  Peahen 
should  of  course  be  permitted  to  take  charge  of  one  set  of 
Eggs.  Even  without  such  assistance  she  will  be  tolerably  suc- 
cessful. Those  students  of  Poultry  who  carefully  read  the 
"  Guinea  Fowl"  and  the  "  Turkey,"  and  industriously  carry 
the  instructions  there  given  into  practice,  will  have  no  diffi- 
culty in  rearing  Pea  Chicks.  The  same  wise  provision  of 
nature  to  be  noticed  in  the  Guinea  Fowl,  is  evinced  in  a  still 
greater  degree  in  the  little  Pea  Chicks.  Their  native  jungle, 
tall,  dense,  sometimes  impervious,  swarming  with  reptile, 
quadruped,  and  even  insect  enemies,  would  be  a  most  dan- 
gerous habitation  for  a  little  tender  thing  that  could  run  and 


PEA     FOWL. 

gqnat  merely.  Accordingly  they  escape  from  the  Egg  with 
their  quill-feathers  very  highly  developed.  In  three  days 
they  will  fly  up  and  perch  upon  any  thing  three  feet  high ;  in 
a  fortnight  they  will  roost  on  trees  or  the  tops  of  sheds,  and 
at  a  month  or  six  weeks  you  would  see  them  on  the  ridge  of  a 
barn,  if  there  were  any  intermediate  low  stables  or  other 
building  that  would  help  them  to  mount  from  one  to  the 
other.  It  must  be  a  clever  snake  that  would  get  at  the  cun- 
ning little  rogues  when  they  were  once  perched  on  the  feathery 
branch  of  a  bamboo.  .  .  . 

There  are  two  varieties  of  the  common  Pea  Fowl,  namely, 
the  Pied  and  the  White.  The  first  has  irregular  patches  of 
white  about  it,  like  the  Pied  Guinea  Fowl,  the  remainder  of  the 
plumage  resembling  the  original  sort. .  The  White  have  the 
ocellated  spots  on  the  tail  faintly  visible  in  certain  lights. 
These  last  are  tender,  and  are  much  prized  by  those  who 
prefer  rarity  to  real  beauty.  They  are  occasionally  produced 
by  birds  of  the  common  kind,  in  cases  where  no  intercourse 
with  other  White  birds  can  have  taken  place.  In  one  in- 
stance, in  the  same  brood,  whose  parents  were  both  of  the 
usual  colours,  there  were  two  of  the  common  sort,  and  one 
White  Cock  and  one  White  Hen.  The  old  notion  respecting 
them,  which  has  given  rise  to  serious  theoretical  errors  and  to 
many  false  inferences,  is,  that  they  originated  in  the  north,  in 
Norway  or  Sweden ;  the  climate  in  which  Ptarmigan,  Snow 
Buntings,  Alpine  Hares,  &c.,  annually  put  on  a  white  livery; 
having  made  them  permanently  white.  From  some  minds  this 
false  idea  has  yet  to  be  eradicated ;  it  was  the  foundation  of 
several  of  Buffon's  boldest  speculations  respecting  the  influ- 
ence of  climate  on  the  forms  of  animals,  leading  him  to 
hazard  the  assertion,  among  others,  that  the  Silver  Pheasant 
is  only  the  common  Pheasant  changed  to  a  lighter  hue  by  mi- 
gration to  a  more  northerly  region,  while  he  forgot  that  the 
Silver  and  the  Common  Pheasant  are  both  natives  of  the  same 


352  PEA     FOWL. 

districts  of  China  and  India,  and  that  Aldrovandi,  from  whom 
he  gleaned  the  error,  instantly  refutes  it,  by  stating  that 
White  Pea  Fowl  are  frequently  hatched  in  Madeira  and  the 
neighbouring  islands.  Temminck  has  well  discussed  the  Paon 
Blanc,  in  his  Hist.  Nat.  des  Gallinaces,  torn.  ii. 


THE    KING-NECKED    1>  11  E  A  S  A  K  I1 


353 


CHAPTER   XXII. 

THE  RING-NECKED  PHEASANT. 

THE  Phasianus  Torquatus,  or  Ring-necked  Pheasant,  of 
which  the  artist  has  given  such  a  life-like  portrait  from  nature, 
is  but  a  variety  of  the  common  Pheasant.  It  is,  perhaps,  a 
trifle  larger  than  the  Brown  Pheasant,  with  which  it  is  asso- 
ciated in  almost  every  preserve  in  England.  The  Cock  should 
weigh  about  three  pounds. 

This  genus  may  generally  be  characterized  by  a  strong  bill, 
the  upper  part  of  which  is  convex,  and  naked  at  the  base  j  the 
nostrils  are  lateral  and  covered  with  a  cartilaginous  scale. 
"  The  head  is  clothed  with  feathers,  but  the  region  of  the  eyes,\ 
for  a  considerable  space,  is  covered  with  a  naked  verucose  skin, 
generally  of  a  bright  vermilion.  The  wings  are  short,  but 
firm  and  compact.  The  tail  is  remarkably  long,  and  generally 
wedge-shaped.  The  feet  have  the  anterior  toes  united  by  a 
membrane  to  the  first  joint.  The  hind-toe  is  articulated  upon 
the  tarsus,  which,  in  the  male,  is  furnished  with  a  strong 
conical,  sharp  spur.  The  plumage  of  the  male  is  generally  of 
the  most  brilliant  tints."  In  the  natural  state,  they  live  on 
fruits  and  roots,  and  the  larger  seeds ;  they  are  very  active 
on  the  ground,  and  though  their  short  wings  prevent  them 
from  taking  a  long  and  sustained  flight,  their  power  is  suffi- 
cient to  carry  them  away  from  ordinary  dangers. 

It  is  now  generally  admitted  that  the  Pheasant  was  originally 

30* 


354      THE  RING-NECKED  PHEASANT. 

introduced  in  Europe  from  the  banks  of  the  Phasis,  (near  the 
Rioni,)  a  river  in  Chalchis,  in  Asia  Minor.  Of  the  time  of 
its  introduction  we  are  not  certain.  As  early  as  the  year 
1299,  it  is  mentioned  (Echard's  History)  as  worth  four  pence; 
and  two  hundred  of  them  made  part  of  the  great  feast  of  the 
Archbishop  Neville,  about  the  middle  of  the  fifteenth  century. 

The  markings  and  splendid  hues  of  the  plumage  of  the 
male  bird  are  generally  known,  and  so  well  set  forth  by  the 
artist,  that  any  detailed  description  will  be  unnecessary. 

The  ringed  variety  chiefly  inhabits  the  forests  of  China, 
where  the  common  kind  is  also  abundant ;  but  in  this  state 
they  never  breed  together.  The  Eggs  of  the  former  also 
differ;  they  are  of  a  pale  bluish  green,  marked  with  small 
blotches  of  a  deeper  tint,  while  those  of  the  latter  variety  are 
of  an  olive-white,  and  without  any  spots. 

Of  the  habits  of  these  birds,  in  a  state  of  nature,  we  know 
but  little,  and  yet  have  no  reason  to  doubt  their  similarity  to 
those  exhibited  in  their  present  half  domestic  state  in  Europe 
and  this  country. 

As  they  are  now  found  in  preserves,  woods  with  a  thick 
under-growth  of  brush,  brambles,  long  grass,  &c.,  interspersed 
with  open  glades,  which  some  little  stream  refreshes  and  the 
sun  enlivens,  are  their  delight  during  the  day,  and  from  which 
they  run,  morning  and  evening,  to  the  open  skirts,  where  some 
favourite  food  abounds.  It  is  in  their  way  to  such  feeding 
grounds,  that  they  are  so  easily  secured  by  unscrupulous  per- 
sons; for,  never  taking  flight,  unless  disturbed,  they  run  and 
thread  their  way  through  these  tangled  brakes,  and  leave  pas- 
sages which  are  easily  distinguished  by  the  practised  eye  of 
the  poacher.  During  the  winter,  the  Pheasant  goes  regularly  to 
roost ;  but,  in  the  summer,  and  when  moulting,  they  do  not 
tree,  but  squat  among  the  long  grass,  offering  themselves,  in 
this  way,  an  easy  prey  to  another  class  of  enemies,  as  Polecats, 
Foxes,  &c.  The  males,  in  general,  associate  among  themselves 


THE     RING-NECKED    PHEASANT.  355 

during  the  winter,  and  separate  from  the  females.  They 
come  together  again  about  the  first  of  March,  when  the  male 
assumes  an  altered  appearance ;  the  scarlet  of  his  cheeks,  and 
around  his  eyes,  acquires  additional  depth  of  colour,  he  walks 
with  a  more  measured  step,  with  his  wings  let  down,  and 
with  his  tail  carried  in  a  more  erect  position.  Being  poly- 
gamous, he  now  takes  possession  of  a  certain  beat,  from  which 
he  drives  every  male  intruder,  and  commences  his  crowing, 
attended  with  a  peculiar  clapping  of  the  wings,  which  answers 
as  the  note  of  invitation  to  the  other  sex,  as  well  as  of  defiance 
to  his  own. 

As  previously  stated,  the  food  of  the  Pheasant  is  tender 
roots,  insects  with  their  larvae — as  the  autumn  advances, 
the  ripening  grains  of  all  kinds  are  abundant,  and  the  wild 
fruits  and  berries,  which  a  kind  Providence  has  everywhere 
provided,  render  this  their  time  of  feasting.  As  winter  ap- 
proaches, they  are  reduced  to  less  various  fare,  and  resort  to 
the  fallow  and  turnip-fields,  in  search  of  roots,  &c.  In  well- 
kept  preserves,  during  this  season,  they  are  always  regularly 
fed,  and  know  the  feeding-hour  and  call  of  the  keeper  cor- 
rectly, and  by  this  means  they  are  prevented  from  straying. 
The  most  successful  and  favourite  food,  at  these  times,  is  peas 
or  grain. 

Although  it  is  rather  difficult  to  effect  a  cross  between  the 
Pheasant  and  our  Domestic  Fowl,  it  has  nevertheless  been 
done ;  but,  beyond  a  first  cross,  the  thing  is  generally  regarded 
as  impracticable.  Poultry  have  been  kept  on  the  borders  of  a 
wood  abounding  with  Pheasants,  and  occasionally  a  few  half- 
bred  birds  are  procured.  Sir  William  Jardine  had  a  specimen 
of  the  cross  in  his  possession,  exhibiting  all  the  mixed  cha- 
racters in  perfection.  M.  Temminck  also  records  a  solitary  in- 
stance of  a  mule  between  the  female  common  Pheasant  and  the 
male  Golden-Pheasant,  which  presented  a  curious  but  splendid 
mixture;  all  his  endeavours,  however,  to  procure  a  second 


356  THE    EING-NECKED     PHEASANT. 

specimen  were  ineffectual.  The  common  Pheasant  breeds 
also  freely  with  the  Ring-necked  bird,  and  the  offspring  is  pro- 
ductive ;  this  by  some  is  regarded  as  a  proof  that  these  two 
birds  are  identical. 

The  following  paragraph,  which  I  quote  from  Mr.  Nolan,  of 
Dublin,  will  be  interesting  to  those  who  desire  to  try  their 
skill  in  breeding  and  rearing  this  beautiful  bird.  He  says : — 

"  The  Pheasant  is  not  only  beautiful  to  the  eye,  but  most  de- 
licate when  served  to  the  table.  Its  flesh  is  considered  the 
greatest  dainty.  When  the  old  physicians  spoke  of  the  whole- 
someness  of  any  viands,  they  made  their  comparison  with  the 
flesh  of  the  Pheasant.  No  matter  with  what  care  they  have 
been  bred  or  propagated,  they  disdain  the  protection  of  man, 
and  shelter  in  the  thickest  covers  and  remotest  forests.  All 
others  of  the  Domestic  Fowl  submit  to  the  protection  of  man ; 
but  the  Pheasant  never  has,  preferring  the  scanty  produce  of 
acorns  and  berries  to  the  abundant  supply  of  a  farm-yard.  The 
Hen  Pheasant,  in  a  wild  state,  hatches  and  brings  up  her  brood 
with  patience,  vigilance,  and  courage ;  but  when  kept  tame,  she 
never  sits  well.  A  substitute  must  be  found  in  the  clean- 
legged  Bantam,  the  larger  Fowl  being  too  heavy  for  the  Chicks. 
Her  time  of  laying  is  about  the  middle  of  April,  and,  if  in  an 
aviary,  the  Eggs  should  be  immediately  removed,  and  placed 
in  dry  bran  or  chaff,  until  you  wish  to  set  them.  They  are 
about  twenty-four  days  coming  out.  After  the  young  ones  ap- 
pear, they  are  not  to  be  fed  for  twenty-four  hours,  after  which 
give  them  hard-boiled  Egg,  chopped  fine,  and  mixed  with  oat- 
meal, ant-mould,  cheese,  curd,  lettuce  cut  fine,  white  flour 
wetted  with  sweet  milk,  bread  crumbs,  bread  and  milk,  with 
very  limited  drink.  Be  particular  to  preserve  them  from  cold 
and  moisture.  You  will  have  to  confine  the  Hen,  so  as  to  pre« 
vent  her  eating  their  food ;  and  you  will  have  to  provide  them 
with  maggots.  In  the  neighbourhood  of  Paris,  where  they  rear 
quantities  of  young  Fowl,  for  the  market,  they  prepare  what 


THE    EING-NECKED    PHEASANT.  357 

they  call  a  vermineer,  by  digging  a  hole  in  a  dry,  sandy  spot, 
in  which  they  place  a  piece  of  flesh,  which  soon  gets  into  mag- 
gots, with  which  they  feed  the  young  "birds.  My  own  vermi- 
neer is  of  much  simpler  and  economic  construction.  I  have  an 
earthen  pan,  about  two  feet  deep,  and  one  foot  diameter,  into 
which  I  put  some  bran ;  on  this  I  place  a  piece  of  liver  or 
carrion.  I  cover  it  with  a  common  glass  cap,  and  place  it  in 
the  sun.  The  flesh  soon  gets  fly-blown,  and  speedily  creates 
quantities  of  maggots,  and,  with  a  long-handled  spoon,  I  have 
them  thrown  to  the  young  birds.  They  should  not  get  more 
than  one  feed  of  those  in  the  day.  The  more  varied  their 
food,  and  the  more  frequently  renewed,  the  better.  Fresh, 
and  a  little  at  a  time.  The  green  leaves  of  barley  are  ex- 
cellent. At  three  months  old,  feed  them  on  barley,  with 
a  little  wheat,  boiled  carrots,  or  potatoes,  mixed  with  bread- 
crumbs. Give  a  small  portion  of  boiled  rice  during  the  moult. 
If  they  should  get  the  roup,  give  them  fresh  curd  every  day. 
To  make  alum  curd,  take  new  milk,  as  much  as  your  young 
birds  require,  and  boil  it  with  a  lump  of  alum,  so  as  not  to 
make  the  curd  hard  and  tough,  but  custard-like.  A  little  of 
this  curd  and  ant's  eggs,  should  be  given  to  them  twice  a  day, 
in  addition  to  their  other  food.  Keep  their  vessels  clean ;  and, 
if  the  disease  still  continue,  give  them,  every  second  day,  a 
small  dose  of  garlic  in  a  little  fresh  butter.  They  are  subject 
to  be  vent-bound,  which,  if  not  attended  to,  will  kill  them. 
The  remedy  is,  with  a  sharp  scissors  cut  close  the  down  or 
feathers  about  the  vent,  and  anoint  it  with  sweet-oil,  and  be 
attentive  that  it  be  kept  clean,  otherwise  you  cannot  rear  them; 
but,  in  handling  them,  be  particularly  cautious  that  you  do  it 
with  the  greatest  delicacy,  as  the  least  rough  handling  will 
kill  them.  If  they  have  a  scouring,  the  alum  curd  will 
check  it. 

There  is  no  difficulty  in  breeding  the  common  Pheasant  in 
a  wild  state ;  but  to  keep  them  in  an  aviary,  you  will  have  to 


358  THE     RING-NECKED    PHEASANT. 

get  a  wire-trellis  in  front,  sufficiently  close  to  prevent  the 
sparrows  and  other  birds  robbing  them  of  their  food.  The 
saving  of  the  food  will  very  soon  compensate  you  for  the 
wire-work,  and  insure  your  Pheasants  being  fed.  At  the  top, 
I  would  prefer  close  net-work  of  moderate-sized  cord,  well 
painted.  The  reason  is,  if  the  birds  get  fluttered,  they  fly 
straight  up,  and,  by  a  dash  against  a  hard  substance,  they  fre- 
quently fall  dead,  but  by  coming  in  contact  with  the  net,  they 
receive  no  injury.  Part  of  the  aviary  should  be  shedded,  to 
protect  them  from  the  inclemency  of  the  weather ;  and  I  would 
recommend  a  retiring-place  for  the  Hens  to  lay  in,  and  perches 
of  about  one  inch  diameter.  I  would  advise  the  retiring-place 
to  be  laid  down  with  clean  straw,  but  would  prefer  fine  sand 
for  their  walking-place.  Wheat  and  barley  are  their  best  food, 
with  occasionally  vegetable  matter,  lettuce,  turnip-tops,  cab- 
bages, &c.  One  Cock  is  sufficient  for  three  or  four  Hens. 


359 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

THE     TURKEY. 

THIS  is  one  of  those  Fowls,  that,  as  yet,  are  found  in  the 
wild,  as  well  as  in  the  domestic  state.  How  long  this  may  be, 
is  hard  to  say ;  probably,  not  long ;  for  as  civilization  and  im- 
provements advance  in  North  America,  the  country  to  which 
they  belong,  they  will,  doubtless,  share  the  fate  of  the  Dodo 
and  Bustard,  and  be  known  only  in  history,  or  by  the  speci- 
mens to  be  seen  in  the  barn-yard. 

As  I  know  comparatively  little  of  this  Fowl  from  experience 
in  rearing  it,  I  have  sought  information  of  those  who  "  know 
all  about  it"  practically;  and  none  more  so  than  my  friend, 
D.  Taggart,  Esq.,  to  whom  I  feel  much  indebted,  for  his  valua- 
ble correspondence  on  "  Ornamental  and  Domestic  Poultry/' 

In  answer  to  some  inquiries,  in  relation  to  Fowls  generally, 
he  says,  "  You  have  not  asked  my  views  on  Turkeys,  but  what 
little  I  know,  I  may  as  well  impart.  I  raised  two  broods,  last 
summer,  (1850,)  byway  of  experiment.  The  first  lot,  to  the 
number  of  fifteen,  were  hatched  in  June,  under  Hens.  With 
these,  I  was  very  successful,  having  lost  but  one.  The  Gobblers 
now  weigh,  (November  29th,  1850,)  eleven  or  twelve  pounds, 
the  Hens  seven  or  eight  pounds :  I  was  very  careful  of  them, 
feeding  them  on  the  curds  of  milk,  and  waste  bread,  soaked  in 
milk,  until  they  were  four  or  five  weeks  old.  After  that,  I  was 
not  so  particular.  I  kept  them  in  the  garden,  and  by  the  time 


362  THE     TURKEY. 

the  Bustard  breed  and  the  Dutch  copper-coloured,)  which, 
however,  is  as  much  cultivated  in  Norfolk  as  the  old  local 
stock,  and  birds  of  which  kind  often  pass  for  true  Norfolks, 
because  they  have  been  procured  from  that  county.  The  real 
Norfolk  Turkey  is  more  hardy,  but  less  ornamental  than  the 
others,  and  of  smaller  size.  It  is  entirely  black,  except  the 
red  skin  about  the  head,  and  a  brownish  tip  to  the  feathers  of 
the  tail  and  some  of  those  of  the  back.  This  gives  the  bird 
a  rusty  appearance,  like  an  old  piece  of  well-worn  cotton  velvet. 
The  Cambridge  sort,  when  black,  have  a  beautifully  shining 
bluish  tinge,  like  a  well-polished  boot.  The  Chicks  of  the 
Norfolks  are  black,  with  occasionally  white  patches  about  the 
head;  those  of  the  Cambridge  variety  are  mottled  all  over 
with  brownish  gray,  and  are  of  taller  and  slenderer  proportions. 
The  plumage  of  the  Cambridge  breed  varies  very  much ;  some- 
times it  is  entirely  made  up  of  shades  of  reddish  brown  and 
gray,  when  it  is  called  the  Bustard  breed ;  sometimes  of  gray, 
black,  and  white,  but  frequently  it  approaches  very  nearly  to 
what  we  see  figured  as  the  wild  bird.  Owing  to  the  early  age 
at  which  our  birds  are  mostly  killed,  the  tuft  on  the  breast  of 
the  Hen  is  seldom  so  conspicuous  as  is  represented  in  the  Hen 
of  the  Wild  Turkey,  in  the  "Naturalist's  Library,"  copied 
from  Audubon. 

The  pure  White  Turkeys  are  very  elegant  creatures,  and 
though  the  most  tender  of  all  to  rear,  are  not  so  in  any  thing 
like  the  same  degree  as  the  White  Pea  Fowl.  It  is  well  known 
that  most  birds,  wild  as  well  as  tame,  occasionally  produce 
perfectly  white  individuals,  of  more  delicate  constitution  than 
their  parents.  We  cannot  doubt  that  the  selection  and  pairing 
of  such,  is  the  way  in  which  the  breed  of  White  Turkeys  has 
been  established  and  kept  up.  However,  with  all  care  they 
will  now  and  then  produce  speckled  birds,  and  so  show  a 
tendency  to  return  to  the  normal  plumage.  It  is  remarkable, 
that  in  specimens  which  are  else  snow-white,  the  tuft  on  the 


THE    TURKEY.  363 

breast  remains  coal-black,  looking,  in  the  Hens,  like  a  tail  of 
ermine,  and  so  showing  as  a  great  ornament.  The  head  and 
caruncles  on  the  neck  of  the  male  are,  when  excited,  of  the 
same  blue  and  scarlet  hues.  Thus  the  creature,  with  small 
portions  of  black,  blue,  and  scarlet,  relieving  his  snowy  and 
trembling  flakes  of  plumage,  is  truly  beautiful;  and  some  few 
farmers  keep  them,  in  spite  of  the  disadvantages  attending 
them.  A  merit  is,  that  they  dress  most  temptingly  white  for 
market.  But  they  are  unsuited  for  miry,  smoky,  or  clayey 
situations,  and  show  and  thrive  best  when  they  have  a  range 
of  clean,  short  pasture,  on  a  light  or  chalky  subsoil. 

The  American  Turkeys  are  merely  a  recent  importation 
from  the  New  World,  of  birds  whose  progenitors  were  not 
many  generations  back  in  a  state  of  nature ;  they  are,  in  short, 
fresh  blood  from  the  primaeval  forests.  The  most  striking 
point  in  which  they  differ  from  the  best  plumaged  of  the 
Cambridge  breed,  is  the  extreme  brilliancy  of  their  changeable 
metallic  tints.  In  all  the  coloured  Turkeys  these  glancing 
tints  depend  much  upon  condition.  An  experienced  eye  will 
at  once  see  whether  Poultry  is  in  good  or  bad  condition,  from 
the  look  of  the  plumage,  just  as  a  groom  would  pronounce 
upon  the  smooth  or  staring  coat  of  his  horse.  But  the 
American  Turkeys  are  ever  pre-eminent  in  this  respect.  They 
are  also  more  hardy,  lively,  game-like,  and  self-dependent, 
searching  for  their  food  like  Pheasants.  Those  who  have  kept 
them,  pronounce  them  to  be  the  most  profitable  and  best-tasted 
breed,  as  well  as  the  handsomest.  The  metallic  hues  of  their 
back  feathers,  when  seen  in  the  sunshine,  are  quite  dazzling. 
The  Rev.  W.  D.  F.,  to  whom  we  are  indebted  for  admirable 
specimens,  says,  "I  have  always  believed  these  birds  to  be 
descendants  of  the  true  wild  breed  brought  immediately  from 
America.  The  owners  of  them  have  constantly  laid  claim  to 
this;  in  proof  whereof,  I  may  mention  an  anecdote  which 
occurred  some  years  since.  At  that  time  Earl  Powys  was 


364  THE     TURKEY. 

reputed  to  be  the  only  possessor  of  these;  and  I  believe  hn 
imported  them.  On  one  occasion,  the  earl  presented  George 
IV.  with  a  fine  black  charger,  which  was  graciously  received ; 
but  the  king  is  said  to  have  remarked  to  those  in  his  confi- 
dence, that  a  horse  was  of  no  use  to  him,  as  he  could  not  ride, 
but  that  Earl  Powys  did  possess  something  which  he  should 
much  value.  This  was  reported  to  his  lordship,  and  after 
some  difiiculty  it  was  found  out  that  a  pair  of  American 
Turkeys  would  be  most  acceptable,  and  they  were  sent.  I 
merely  mention  this  to  show  that  their  wild  descent  was 
believed  in  high  quarters.  The  late  Lord  Leicester  was  also 
said  to  possess  the  wild  breed  ;  and  I  well  remember  his  telling 
my  father  they  were  so,  and  remarking  that  they  got  their 
food  so  much  more  readily  than  the  tame  kinds.  I  originally 
had  my  breed  from  Lord  Leicester,  and  have  since  crossed 
them  with  Earl  Powys's.  The  two  breeds  differ  in  the  latter 
having  the  wing-feathers,  or  rather  quills,  barred  with  white, 
while  Lord  Leicester's  are  wholly  dark.  Both  Cocks  and 
Hens  are  beautifully  metallic,  far  my  re  so  than  any  breed 
that  I  know.  The  shape  of  the  Hens  is  also  more  elongated, 
and  there  is  a  sprightliness  about  the  head,  which  is  also 
better  shaped.  Audubon's  plate  of  the  Turkey  strongly  re- 
minds me  of  my  own.  Much  of  this  may  be  fancy;  yet  I 
have  not  a  doubt  upon  the  subject,  but  believe  that  they  are 
genuine  wild  American  Turkeys.  They  also  invariably  lay 
later  than  the  common  breeds." 

A  great  point  in  this  account  is,  that  the  birds  are  de- 
scended from  recently  wild  ancestors,  and  have  not  merely 
been  lately  brought  from  America.  For  this  query  suggests 
itself  to  our  mind:  Are  the  majority  of  the  American  farm- 
yard Turkeys  the  progeny  of  individuals  domesticated  from 
the  forest ;  or,  is  it  not  possible  that  some  at  least  of  the 
colonists  may  have  taken  out  with  them  tame  Turkeys  from 
England  as  stock,  and  so  founded  a  farm-yard  race  for  parts 


THE     TURKEY.  365 

of  America  ?  Such  a  plan  would  most  likely  be  less  trouble- 
some than  the  task  of  taming  fresh-caught  birds  or  their 
chicks.  If  this  has  ever  been  the  case,  it  will  be  a  curious 
return  for  us  to  have  made,  of  an  enslaved  race,  to  the  conti- 
nent to  which  we  owe  the  original  existence  of  the  species 
among  us.  Some  slight  notice  of  the  Crested  Turkey  may  be 
expected  in  these  pages,  as  Temminck  (Pigeons  et  Gallinacesj 
vol.  ii.  p.  387,)  says  that  it  is  "only  a  variety  or  sport  of  nature 
in  the  species;  it  only  differs  in  that  it  has  a  crest  of  feathers, 
sometimes  black,  sometimes  white ;  and  these  Crested  Turkeys 
are  sufficiently  rare.  Mademoiselle  Backer  formerly  kept,  in 
her  magnificent  menagerie,  near  the  Hague,  a  flock  of  Turkeys 
of  a  beautiful  Isabelle  yellow,  approaching  to  chestnut;  they 
all  had  an  ample  crest  of  pure  white."  Albin,  publishing  in 
1738,  gives  (vol.  ii.  p.  30)  a  coloured  print  of  the  white- 
crested  Turkey,  and  says,  "This  bird  I  saw  in  the  possession 
of  Henry  Cornellyson,  Esq.,  beyond  Chelmsford,  in  Essex:  it 
was  of  the  bigness  of  the  common  Turkies,  having  a  beautiful 
large  white  copple  on  its  crown  or  top  of  the  head/'  We 
do  not  see  such  freaks  of  nature  now;  nor  does  a  Turkey's 
head,  with  its  movable  and  erectable  skin,  look  a  likely  place 
for  a  plume  of  feathers  to  start  from.  Such  a  lusus  has  never 
occurred  in  the  great  Turkey-breeding  counties  of  Norfolk, 
Suffolk,  and  Cambridgeshire,  and  the  appearance  of  the 
monster  would  be  sure  to  be  observed  there,  if  it  took  place. 
We  therefore  may  suspect  the  Crested  Turkey  to  be,  like  the 
Crested  Guinea  Fowl,  a  distinct  species,  and  that  it  has  failed 
to  propagate,  and  so  is  no  longer  to  be  seen  among  us.  The 
suspicion  is  confirmed  by  finding  in  "  Wild  Life  in  the  Interior 
of  Central  America,  by  Greorge  Byam,  43d  Light  Infantry," 
at  p.  154,  and  the  following,  an  account  of  the  discovery  of 
Crested  Turkeys  in  a  state  of  nature,  which  is  too  long  to  ex- 
tract. But  the  subject  is  most  perplexing,  and  interesting 
from  its  very  mystery.  A  solution  may  possibly  be  effected 

31* 


366  THE     TURKEY. 

by  the  noble  efforts  which  the  Earl  of  Derby  is  unceasingly 
making  to  further  the  advance  of  zoological  knowledge. 

One  reason  why  the  Turkeys,  seen  in  our  Poultry  yards,  do 
not  vie  in  splendour  of  plumage  with  their  untamed  brethren, 
is  that  we  do  not  let  them  live  long  enough.  For  the  same 
cause  we  seldom  witness  the  thorough  development  of  their 
temper  and  disposition.  A  creature  that  does  not  attain  its 
full  growth  till  its  fifth  or  sixth  year,  we  kill  at  latest  in  the 
second,  to  the  evident  deterioration  of  our  stock.  But  let 
three  or  four  well-selected  Cambridge  Turkeys,  or  the  before- 
mentioned  Americans,  be  retained  to  their  really  adult  state, 
and  well  fed  meanwhile,  and  they  will  quite  recompense  their 
keeper  by  their  beauty  in  full  plumage,  by  their  glancing  hues 
of  gilded  green  and  purple,  their  lovely  shades  of  brown, 
bronze,  and  black,  and  the  pearly  lustre  that  radiates  from 
their  polished  feathers.  In  default  of  wild  specimens,  birds 
like  these  are  sought  to  complete  collections  of  stuffed  birds. 

The  demand  for  such  large  birds  among  the  Fowl-dealers, 
and  the  temptation  to  fat  them  before  they  arrive  at  this 
stage,  are  so  great,  that  few  farmers'  wives  can  resist  sending 
their  eighteen  or  twenty  pound  "stag"*  to  market,  while  a 
young  Cock  of  the  year,  they  think,  will  answer  every  purpose 
next  spring  as  well.  Some  even  deem  it  an  extravagance  to 
keep  a  Turkey  Cock  at  all,  if  they  have  not  more  than  two 
Hens,  which  they  would  send  on  a  visit  of  a  day  or  two  to  a 
neighbour  who  has  a  male  bird.  A  case  is  recorded  in  which 
such  a  visit,  made  in  the  July  or  August  of  one  year,  was 
available  for  the  Eggs  of  the  succeeding  April.  The  time 


*  In  Norfolk,  Turkey  Cocks  are  called  Stags  from  their  second 
year  upwards.  A  bird  of  the  same  year  weighing,  when  dressed  at 
Christmas,  16  or  17  Ibs.,  is  unusyyal  and  considered  very  good.  The 
extra  weighty  birds  shown  by  the  London  poulterers  are  of  a  corre- 
sponding age. 


THE     TURKEY.  367 

when  the  Hens  require  this  change  of  air  in  spring,  may  be 
known  by  their  lying  down  on  the  ground,  as  if  they  were 
unwell ;  doing  so  immediately  again,  if  taken  up  and  made  to 
walk  on,  which  apparent  languor  is  accompanied  by  a  lack-a- 
daisical  love-sick  expression  of  countenance.  One  Christmas 
we  ate  or  gave  away  all  our  Turkeys,  (including  a  magnificent 
Stag,  whose  image  haunts  us  still,)  except  a  single  Hen.  The 
above-mentioned  plan  was  necessarily  adopted;  and  the  result 
was,  from  eleven  Eggs,  eight  Chicks  so  strong  as  almost  to 
rear  themselves.  The  same  system  has  been  occasionally  tried 
with  Fowls,  and  has  been  found  not  to  answer. 

When  the  Hen  has  once  selected  a  spot  for  her  nest,  she  will 
continue  to  lay  there  till  tfye  time  of  incubation,  so  that  the 
Eggs  may  be  brought  home  from  day  to  day,  there  being  no 
need  of  a  nest  Egg,  as  with  the  common  Fowl.  She  will  lay 
from  fifteen  to  twenty  Eggs,  more  or  less.  If  there  are  any 
dead  leaves  or  dry  grass  at  hand,  she  will  cover  her  Eggs  with 
these  ;  but  if  not,  she  will  take  no  trouble  to  collect  them  from 
a  distance.  Her  determination  to  sit,  will  be  known  by  her 
constantly  remaining  on  the  nest,  though  empty ;  and  as  it  is 
seldom  in  a  position  sufficiently  secure  against  the  weather  or 
pilferers,  a  nest  should  be  prepared  for  her,  by  placing  some 
straw,  with  her  Eggs,  on  the  floor  of  a  convenient  out-house. 
She  should  then  be  brought  home,  and  gently  and  kindly 
placed  upon  it.  It  is  a  most  pleasing  sight  to  witness  the 
satisfaction  with  which  the  bird  takes  to  her  long-lost  Eggs, 
turning  them  about,  placing  them  with  her  bill  in  the  most 
suitable  positions,  packing  the  straw  tightly  around  and  under 
them,  and  finally  sinking  upon  them  with  the  quiet  joy  of  an- 
ticipated maternity. 

In  the  south  of  England,  from  fifteen  to  twenty  Eggs  may  be 
allowed ;  but  with  the  Norfolk  variety,  which  is  the  smallest, 
and  in  a  northern  or  eastern  county,  it  is  found  that  moderation 
succeeds  better  than  over-greediness  of  Chicks.  In  this  case 


368  THE     TURRET. 

thirteen  Eggs  are  enough  to  give  her;  a  large  Hen  might 
cover  more  :  but  a  few  strong,  well-hatched  Chicks  are  better 
than  a  large  brood  of  weaklings  that  have  been  delayed  in  the 
shell,  perhaps  twelve  hours  over  the  time,  from  insufficient 
warmth.  At  the  end  of  a  week,  it  is  usual  to  add  two  or  three 
Fowls'  Eggs,  "  to  teach  the  young  Turkeys  to  peck."  The 
plan  is  not  a  bad  one ;  the  activity  of  the  Chickens  does  stir 
up  some  emulation  in  their  larger  brethren ;  the  Eggs  take  up 
but  little  room  in  the  nest ;  and,  at  the  end  of  the  summer,  you 
have  two  or  three  very  fine  Fowls,  all  the  plumper  for  the  ex- 
tra diet  they  have  shared  with  the  little  Turkeys. 

Some  ladies  believe  it  necessary  to  turn  the  Eggs  once  a 
day  ;  but  the  Hen  does  that  herself  many  times  a  day.  If  the 
Eggs  are  marked,  and  you  notice  their  position  when  she  leaves 
the  nest,  you  will  never  find  them  arranged  in  the  same  order. 
A  person  who  obtained  ninety-nine  Chicks  from  an  hundred 
Eggs,  took  the  great  trouble  to  turn  each  Egg  every  day  with 
her  own  hand,  during  the  whole  time  of  incubation.  The  re- 
sult appears  favourable  j  but,  in  fact,  only  amounts  to  this, 
that  such  officiousness  did  no  harm  with  a  good,  patient,  quiet 
creature  like  the  sitting  Turkey,  but  it  would  probably  have 
worried  and  annoyed  any  other  bird  into  addling  her  whole 
clutch.  We  will  at  once  reject,  as  utterly  absurd  and  un- 
natural, all  directions  to  immerse  or  "  try"  the  Eggs  in  a  pail 
of  water,  hot  or  cold. 

In  four  weeks  the  little  birds  will  be  hatched ;  and  then, 
how  are  they  to  be  reared  ?  Some  books  tell  you  to  plunge 
them  in  cold  water,  to  strengthen  them:  those  that  survive 
will  certainly  be  hardy  birds.*  Others  say,  "  Make  them 


*  Sir  J.  S.  Sebright  exposes  the  folly  of  endeavouring  to  make 
young  creatures  robust  by  undue  exposure  to  cold  and  hardship,  an 
experiment  which  some  men  and  women  are  cruel  enough  to  try  upon 
their  own  offspring.  Air  and  exercise  increase  the  strength  of  any 


THE     TURKEY.  869 

swallow  a  whole  pepper-corn;"  which  is  as  if  «pre  were  to  cram 
a  London  pippin  down  the  throat  of  a  new-born  babe.  Others 
again  say,  "  Give  them  a  little  ale,  beer,  or  wine."  We  know, 
unhappily,  that  some  mothers  are  wicked  enough  to  give  their 
infants  gin,  and  we  know  the  consequences.  Not  a  few  advise 
that  they  be  taken  away,  and  kept  in  a  basket  by  the  fire-side, 
wrapped  in  flannel,  for  eight  or  ten  hours.  Why  take  them 
away  from  her  ?  She  has  undergone  no  loss,  nor  pain,  nor 
labour :  she  wants  no  rest,  having  had  too  much  of  that 
already.  All  she  requires  is  the  permission  to  indulge  un- 
disturbed the  natural  exercise  of  her  own  affectionate  instinct. 
Give  them  nothing ;  do  nothing  to  them  :  let  them  be  in 
the  nest  under  the  shelter  of  their  mother's  wings,  at  least 
eight  or  ten  hours  :  if  hatched  in  the  afternoon,  till  the  fol- 

O  *  ' 

lowing  morning.  Then  place  her  on  the  grass,  in  the  sun, 
under  a  roomy  coop.  If  the  weather  be  fine,  she  may  be  sta- 
taioned  where  you  choose,  by  a  long  piece  of  flannel-list  tied 
round  one  leg,  and  fastened  to  a  stump  or  a  stone.  But  the 
boarded  coop  saves  her  ever-watchful  anxiety  from  the  dread 


growing  animal,  but  cold  and  hunger  only  dwarf  and  weaken.  We 
see  robust  children  in  extremely  poor  families,  not  because  they  are 
poor,  but  because,  if  they  were  not  robust,  they  would  not  be  alive  at 
all.  Sir  John,  in  his  "  Treatise  on  Improving  the  Breeds  of  Do- 
mestic Animals,"  pp.  15,  16,  says,  "  In  cold  and  barren  countries,  no 
animals  can  live  to  the  age  of  maturity  but  those  that  have  strong 
constitutions  ;  the  weak  and  the  unhealthy  do  not  live  to  propagate 
their  infirmities,  as  is  too  often  the  case  with  our  domestic  animals. 
To  this  I  attribute  the  peculiar  hardiness  of  the  horses,  cattle,  and 
sheep,  bred  in  mountainous  countries,  more  than  to  their  having  been 
inured  to  the  severity  of  the  climate  ;  for  our  domestic  animals  do 
not  become  more  hardy  by  being  exposed,  when  young,  to  cold  and 
hunger  :  animals  so  treated  will  not,  when  arrived  at  the  age  of  ma 
turity,  endure  so  much  hardship  as  those  who  have  been  better  kept 
in  their  infant  state." 


370  THE     TURKEY. 

of  enemies  above  and  behind — the  carrion-crow,  the  hawk;  the 
rat,  the  weasel;  and  also  protects  herself — she  will  protect  her 
young — from  the  sudden  showers  of  summer.  Offer  at  first  a 
few  crumbs  of  bread  :  the  little  ones,  for  some  hours,  will  be 
in  no  hurry  to  eat ;  but  when  they  do  begin,  supply  them 
constantly  and  abundantly  with  chopped  egg,  shreds  of  meat 
and  fat,  curd,  boiled  rice  mixed  with  cress,  lettuce,  and  the 
green  of  onions.  Melted  mutton-suet  poured  over  barley-meal, 
and  cut  up  when  cold ;  also  bullock's  liver  boiled  and  minced, 
are  excellent  things.  Barley-meal,  mixed  thick  and  stiff  with 
water  or  milk,  nettle-tops,  leeks,  goose-grass,  or  cleavers,  and 
many  other  things,  might  be  added  to  the  list ;  but  it  is  pro- 
bable that  a  few  of  these  may  now  and  then  be  refused  by  some 
fanciful  little  rogues.  I  think  I  have  observed  that  little 
Turkeys  do  not  like  their  food  to  be  minced  much  smaller  than 
they  can  swallow  it ;  indolently  preferring  to  make  a  meal  at 
three  or  four  mouthfuls  than  to  trouble  themselves  with  the 
incessant  pecking  and  scratching  in  which  Chickens  so  much 
delight.  But,  at  any  rate,  the  quantity  consumed  costs  nothing; 
the  attention  to  supply  it  is  every  thing. 

Young  Turkeys  are  sometimes  attacked  by  fasciolse,  or 
worms  in  the  trachea,  but  not  so  often  as  Chickens.  Cramp 
is  the  most  fatal  to  them,  particularly  in  bad  weather.  A  few 
pieces  of  hoard,  laid  under  and  about  the  coop,  are  useful : 
.  sometimes  rubbing  the  legs  with  spirit  will  bring  the  circu- 
lation back  again,  N. 

The  time  when  the  Turkey  Hen  may  be  allowed  full  liberty 
with  her  brood,  depends  so  much  on  season,  situation,  &c., 
that  it  must  be  left  to  the  exercise  of  the  keeper's  judgment. 
Some,  whose  opinion  is  worthy  of  attention,  think  that  if  the 
young  are  thriving,  the  sooner  the  old  ones  are  out  with  them 
the  better,  after  the  first  ten  days  or  so.  A  safer  rule  may  be 
fixed  at  the  season  called  "  shooting  the  red,"  a  "  disease,"  as 
some  compilers  are  pleased  to  term  it :  being  about  as  much 


THE     TURKEY.  371 

a  disease  as  when  the  eldest  son  of  the  Turkey's  master  and 
mistress  shoots  his  beard.  When  young  Turkeys  approach  the 
size  of  a  Partridge,  or  before,  the  granular  fleshy  excrescences 
on  the  head  and  neck  begin  to  appear ;  soon  after,  the  whole 
plumage,  particularly  the  tail-feathers  start  into  rapid  growth, 
and  the  "  disease"  is  only  to  be  counteracted  by  liberal  nou- 
rishment. If  let  loose  at  this  time  they  will  obtain  much  by 
foraging,  and  still  be.  thankful  for  all  you  choose  to  give  them. 
Caraway-seeds,  as  a  tonic,  are  a  great  secret  with  some  pro- 
fessional people.  They  will  doubtless,  be  beneficial,  if  added 
to  plenty  of  barley,  boiled  potatoes,  chopped  vegetables,  and 
refuse  meat.  And  now  is  the  time  that.  Turkeys  begin  to  be 
troublesome  and  voracious.  What  can  you  expect  else  from  a 
creature  that  is  to  grow  from  the  size  of  a  lark  to  twelve  or 
fourteen  pounds,  in  eight  or  nine  months?  u  Corn-sacks,  coffers 
for  oats,  barn-swallowers,  ill  neighbours  to  peasen,"  are  epi- 
thets deservedly  earned.  They  will  jump  into  the  potato- 
ground,  scratch  the  ridges  on  one  side,  eat  every  grub,  wire- 
worm,  or  beetle  that  they  find,  and  every  half-grown  potato. 
From  thence  they  will  proceed  to  the  Swedes ;  before  the  bulbs 
are  formed,  they  will  strip  the  green  from  the  leaves,  thereby 
checking  the  subsequent  growth  of  the  root.  At  a  subsequent 
period,  they  will  do  the  same  to  the  white  turnips,  and  here 
and  there  take  a  piece  out  of  the  turnip  itself.  They  are  seldom 
large  enough  before  harvest  to  make  so  much  havoc  among  the 
standing  corn,  as  Cocks  and  Hens  and  Gruinea  Fowl,  or  they 
have  not  yet  acquired  the  taste  for  it;  but  when  the  young 
wheat  comes  up,  in  October  and  November,  they  will  exhibit 
their  graminivorous  propensities  to  the  great  disadvantage  of 
the  farmer.  The  farmer's  wife  sees  them  not,  says  nothing, 
but  at  Christmas  boasts  of  the  large  amount  of  her  Turkey- 
money.  One  great  merit  in  old  birds  (besides  their  orna- 
mental value,  which  is  our  special  recommendation)  is,  that  in 
situations  where  nuts,  acorns,  and  mast  are  to  be  had,  they  will 


372  THE     TURKEY. 

lead  off  their  brood  to  these,  and  comparatively  (that  is  all) 
abstain  from  ravaging  other  crops.  It  is,  therefore,  not  fair 
for  a  small  occupier  to  be  overstocked  with  Turkeys,  (as  is  too 
often  the  case ;  and  with  other  things  also,)  and  then  to  let 
them  loose,  like  so  many  harpies,  to  devastate  and  plunder 
their  neighbours'  fields. 


3T3 


CHA  XI,. 


374  GUINEA     FOWL. 

tation  than  it  really  deserves,  as  if  it  were  the  most  ill-behaved 
bird  in  creation : — whereas,  it  is  useful,  ornamental,  and  inter- 
esting during  its  life ;  and,  when  dead,  a  desirable  addition  to 
our  dinners,  at  a  time  when  all  other  Poultry  is  scarce. 

The  best  way  to  begin  keeping  Guinea  Fowls  is  to  procure 
a  sitting  of  Eggs  from  some  friend  or  neighbour  on  whom  you 
can  depend  for  their  freshness,  and  also,  if  possible,  from  a 
place  where  only  a  single  pair  is  kept.  The  reason  of  this  will 
be  explained  hereafter.  A  Bantam  Hen  is  the  best  mother ; 
she  is  lighter,  and  less  likely  to  injure  them  by  treading  on 
them  than  a  full-sized  Fowl.  She  will  Cover  nine  Eggs,  and 
incubation  will  last  a  month.  The  young  are  excessively 
pretty.  When  first  hatched,  they  are  so  strong  and  active  as 
to  appear  not  to  require  the  attention  really  necessary  to  rear 
them.  Almost  as  soon  as  they  are  dry  from  the  moisture  of 
the  Egg,  they  will  peck  each  other's  toes,  as  if  supposing  them 
to  be  worms,  will  scramble  with  each  other  for  a  crumb  of 
bread,  and  will  domineer  over  any  little  Bantam  or  Chicken 
that  ijaay  perhaps  have  been  brought  off  in  the  same  clutch 
with  themselves.  No  one,  who  did  not  know,  would  guess, 
from  their  appearance,  of  what  species  of  bird  they  were  the 
offspring. 

The  young  of  the  Guinea  Fowl  are  striped  like  those  of  the 
Emu,  as  shown  in  the  late  Mr.  Bennett's  pleasing  description 
of  the  Zoological  Gardens,  as  they  were  in  his  days.  Their 
orange-red  bills  and  legs,  and  the  dark,  zebra-like  stripes  with 
which  they  are  regularly  marked  from  head  to  tail,  bear  no 
traces  of  the  speckled  plumage  of  their  parents. 

Ants'  Eggs,  (so  called,)  hard-boiled  Egg  chopped  fine,  small 
worms,  maggots,  bread-crumbs,  chopped  meat  or  suet,  what- 
ever, in  short,  is  most  nutritious,  is  their  most  appropriate  food. 
This  need  not  be  offered  to  them  in  large  quantities,  as  it 
would  only  be  devoured  by  the  mother  Bantam  as  soon  as  she 
saw  that  her  little  ones  had  for  the  time  satisfied  their  appe- 


GUINEA    FOWLS.  375 

tites,  or  would  be  stolen  by  sparrows,  &c. ;  but  it  should  be 
frequently  administered  to  them  in  small  supplies.  Feeding 
them  three,  four,  or  five  times  a  day,  is  not  nearly  often 
enough;  every  half-hour  during  daylight  they  should  be 
tempted  to  fill  their  little  craws,  which  are  soon  emptied  again 
by  an  extraordindry  power  and  quickness  of  digestion.  The 
newly-hatched  Guinea  Fowl  is  a  tiny  creature,  a  mere  infini- 
tesimal of  the  full-grown  bird ;  its  growth  is  consequently  very 
rapid,  and  requires  incessant  supplies.  A  check  once  received 
can  never  be  recovered.  In  such  cases  they  do  not  mope  and 
pine  for  a  day  or  two,  like  young  Turkeys  under  similar  cir- 
cumstances, and  then  die ;  but,  in  half  an  hour  after  being  in 
apparent  health,  they  fall  on  their  backs,  give  a  convulsive 
kick  or  two,  and  fall  victims,  in  point  of  fact,  to  starvation. 
The  demands  of  nature  for  the  growth  of  bone,  muscle,  and 
particularly  of  feather,  are  so  great,  that  no  subsequent  abund- 
ant supply  of  food  can  make  up  for  a  fast  of  a  couple  of  hours. 
The  feathers  still  go  on,  grow,  grow,  grow,  in  geometrical  pro- 
gression, and  drain  the  sources  of  vitality  still  faster  than  they 
can  be  supplied,  till  the  bird  faints  and  expires  from  inani- 
tion. I  have  even  fancied  that  I  have  seen  a  growth  of  quill 
and  feather  after  death  in  young  Poultry  which  we  have  failed 
in  rearing.  The  possibility  of  such  a  circumstance  is  sup- 
ported by  the  well-known  fact  of  the  growth  of  hair  and  nails 
in  many  deceased  persons. 

This  constant  supply  of  suitable  food  is,  I  believe,  the  great 
secret  in  rearing  the  more  delicate  birds,  Turkeys,  Guinea 
Fowls,  Pheasants,  &c.;  never  to  suffer  the  growth  of  the  Chick- 
(which  goes  on,  whether  it  has  food  in  its  stomach  or  not,)  to 
produce  exhaustion  of  the  vital  powers,  for  want  of  the  ne- 
cessary aliment.  Young  Turkeys,  as  soon  as  they  once  feel 
languid  from  this  cause,  refuse  their  food  when  it  is  at  last 
offered  to  them,  (just  like  a  man  whose  appetite  is  gone,  in 
consequence  of  having  waited  too  long  for  his  dinner,)  and 


376  GUINEA     FOWLS. 

never  would  eat  more,  were  food  not  forced  down  their  throats, 
by  which  operation  they  may  frequently  be  recovered;  but  the 
little  Guinea  Fowls  give  no  notice  of  this  faintness,  till  they 
are  past  all  cure ;  and  a  struggle  of  a  few  minutes,  shows  that 
they  have  indeed  outgrown  their  strength,  or,  rather,  that  the 
material  for  producing  strength  has  not  been  supplied  to  them 
in  a  degree  commensurate  with  their  growth. 

A  dry  sunny  corner  in  the  garden  will  be  the  best  place  to 
coop  them  with  their  Bantam  Hen.  As  they  increase  in 
strength,  they  will  do  no  harm,  but  a  great  deal  of  good,  by 
devouring  worms,  grubs,  caterpillars,  maggots,  and  all  sorts  of 
insects.  By  the  time  their  bodies  are  little  bigger  than  those 
of  sparrows,  they  will  be  able  to  fly  with  some  degree  of 
strength ;  and  it  is  very  pleasing  to  see  them  essay  the  use  of 
their  wings  at  the  call  of  their  foster-mother,  or  the  approach 
of  their  feeder.  It  is  one  out  of  millions  of  instances  of  the 
provident  wisdom  of  the  Almighty  Creator,  that  the  wing  and 
tail  feathers  of  young  gallinaceous  birds,  with  which  they  re- 
quire to  be  furnished  at  the  earliest  possible  time,  as  a  means 
of  escape  from  their  numerous  enemies,  exhibit  the  most  rapid 
growth  of  any  part  of  their  frame.  Other  additions  to  their 
complete  stature  are  successively  and  less  immediately  deve- 
loped. The  wings  of  a  Chicken  are  soon  fledged  enough  to  be 
of  great  assistance  to  it;  the  spurs,  comb,  and  ornamental 
plumage  do  not  appear  till  quite  a  subsequent  period. 

When  the  young  Guinea  Fowls  are  about  the  size  of 
thrushes,  or  perhaps  a  little  larger,  (unless  the  summer  be  very 
fine,)  their  mother  Bantam  (which  we  suppose  to  be  a  tame, 
quiet,  matronly  creature)  may  be  suffered  to  range  loose  in 
the  orchard  and  shrubbery,  and  no  longer  permitted  to  enter 
the  garden,  lest  her  family  should  acquire  a  habit  of  visiting  it 
at  a  time  when  their  presence  would  be  less  welcome  than  for- 
merly. They  must  still,  however,  receive  a  bountiful  and 
frequent  supply  of  food ;  they  are  not  to  be  considered  safe 


GUINEA     FOWLS.  377 

till  the  horn  on  their  head  is  fairly  grown.  Oatmeal,  (i.  e.  groats,) 
is  a  great  treat,  cooked  potatoes,  boiled  rice,  any  thing  in  short 
that  is  eatable,  may  be  thrown  down  to  them.  They  will  pick 
the  bones  left  after  dinner,  with  great  satisfaction,  and  no  doubt 
benefit  to  themselves.  The  tamer  they  can  be  made,  the  less 
troublesome  will  those  birds  be  which  you  retain  for  stock ; 
the  more  kindly  they  are  treated,  the  more  they  are  petted  and 
pampered,  the  fatter  and  better  conditioned  will  those  others 
become  which  you  design  for  your  own  table,  or  as  presents 
to  your  friends,  and  the  better  price  will  you  get  if  you  send 
them  to  market. 

Of  all  known  birds,  this,  perhaps,  is  the  most  prolific  of 
Eggs.  Week  after  week,  and  month  after  month,  sees  no,  or 
very  rare  intermission  of  the  daily  deposit.  Even  the  process 
of  moulting  is  sometimes  insufiicient  to  draw  off  the  nutriment 
the  creature  takes  to  make  feathers  instead  of  Eggs,  and  the 
poor  thing  will  sometimes  go  about  half-naked  in  the  chilly 
autumnal  months,  like  a  Fowl  that  had  escaped  from  the  cook 
to  avoid  a  preparation  for  the  spit ;  unable  to  refrain  from  its 
diurnal  visit  to  the  nest,  and  consequently  unable  to  furnish 
itself  with  a  new  great  coat.  As  the  body  of  a  good  cow  is  a 
distillery  for  converting  all  sorts  of  herbage  into  milk,  and  no- 
thing else,  or  as  little  else  as  possible,  so  the  body  of  the  Gui- 
nea Hen  is  a  most  admirable  machine  for  producing  Eggs 
out  of  insects,  vegetables,  grain,  garbage,  or  whatever  an  om- 
nivorous creature  can  lay  hold  of. 

From  this  great  aptitude  for  laying,  which  is  a  natural 
property,  and  not  an  artificially  encouraged  habit,  and  also 
from  the  very  little  disposition  they  show  to  sit,  I  am  inclined 
to  suspect  that,  in  their  native  country,  the  dry,  burning 
wastes  of  Central  Africa,  they  do  not  sit  at  all  on  their  Eggs, 
but  leave  them  to  be  hatched  by  the  sun,  like  Ostriches,  to 
which  they  bear  a  close  affinity.  That  they  do  in  this  country 
occasionally  sit  and  hatch,  is  no  valid  objection  to  this  idea, 

32* 


378  GUINEA    FOWLS. 

but  only  an  instance  of  habits  modified  by  a  change  of  climate, 
similar  to  the  cessation  of  torpidity,  and  to  the  brown,  instead 
of  white,  winter  dress  in  animals  brought  from  the  arctic  re- 
gions to  tempe'rate  climates.  Even  in  Great  Britain,  there 
are  not  enough  Guinea  Fowls  hatched  by  their  actual  parents, 
to  keep  the  breed  from  becoming  extinct  in  a  few  years.  It 
is  certain  that  the  sands  of  tropical  Africa  are  more  than  hot 
enough  to  hatch  them,  and  that  the  young  birds  are  unusually 
vivacious  and  independent,  if  they  have  but  a  supply  of  proper 
food,  which  they  would  find  in  the  myriads  of  insects  engen- 
dered there.  They  are  also  found  wild  on  the  Island  of  As- 
cension, but  it  is  doubtful  whether  any  accurate  account  of 
their  habits  or  mode  of  increase  there  is  yet  extant. 

The  normal  plumage  of  the  Guinea  Fowl  is  singularly 
beautiful,  being  spangled  over  with  an  infinity  of  white  spots 
on  a  black  ground,  shaded  with  gray  and  brown.  The  spots 
vary  from  the  size  of  a  pea  to  extreme  minuteness.  Rarely 
the  black  and  white  change  places,  causing  the  bird  to  appear 
as  if  covered  with  a  net-work  of  lace. 

A  white  variety  is  not  uncommon,  and  is  asserted  by  a 
Yorkshire  correspondent  of  the  "Gardener's  Chronicle,"  to  be 
equally  hardy  and  profitable  with  the  usual  kind ;  but  the  pe- 
culiar beauty  of  the  original  plumage  is,  surely,  ill  exchanged 
for  a  dress  of  not  the  purest  white.  It  is  doubtful  for  how 
long  either  this  or  the  former  one  would  remain  permanent; 
probably  but  for  few  generations.  Pied  birds,  blotched  with 
patches  of  white,  are  frequent,  but  are  not  comparable,  in  point 
of  beauty,  with  those  of  the  original  wild  colour. 


379 


CHA: 

. 


.     !,- 


THE     MUTE     SWAN. 

jfce,  but  who  would  willingly  pay  for  the  maintenance  of  a 
pair  of  Swans  and  their  annual  brood  of  Cygnets,  on  enclosed 
or  artificial  waters,  if  they  knew  but  how  to  order  them 
aright. 

Imprimis,  then,  they  are  called  "  Tame  Swans,"  "  Domestic 
Swans  :';  never  were  epithets  more  inappropriate,  unless  we 
agree  to  say,  "tame  Hyaena,  tame  Wolf,  tame  Rat,  domestic 
Pheasant,  domestic  Swallow/'  They  will  come  to  their 
keeper's  call,  and  take  food  from  his  hand ;  they  will  keep  at 
home,  when  they  are  completely  prevented  from  ranging  out 
of  bounds  abroad :  so  far  they  are  tamed  and  domesticated, 
but  no  further,  and  never  will  be.  To  compare  the  relations 
which  exist  between  them  and  man,  with  those  by  which  we 
retain  the  Goose  and  the  common  Fowl,  is  about  as  correct  as 
to  believe  that  the  same  temper  and  disposition  influence  the 
faithful  Dog  and  the  wildest  Jackal  of  the  wilderness.  I  put 
the  case  thus  strongly,  in  order  that  it  may  be  understood 
clearly.  The  comparisons  may  be  a  little  exaggerated,  but 
they  will  serve  to  raise  the  real  truth  into  bolder  and  higher 
relief.  Many  systematic  naturalists,  of  deserved  reputation, 
have  not  been  aware  of  the  fact.  Professor  Low,  speaking  of 
the  effects  of  domestication  on  birds,  says — "  The  Swan,  the 
noblest  of  all  water  Fowls,  becomes  chained,  as  it  were,  to  our 
lakes  and  ponds,  by  the  mere  change  of  his  natural  form." — 
Domesticated  Animals  of  the  British  Islands.  Introduction, 
p.  liv.  Chained,  indeed  !  I  should  like  the  learned  Professor 
to  see  a  pair  of  unmutilated  Swans  cleaving  the  air  with  ex- 
tended pinions.  He  evidently  takes  the  Swan  to  be  a  do- 
mesticated bird,  and  that  it  will  not  fly  away,  instead  of  that 
it  cannot.  Listen  to  this : — "I  have  never  kept  Swans  myself; 
but  those  of  some  relatives  a  few  miles  off,  sometimes  pay  us 
a  visit,  performing  their  flight  in  an  incredibly  short  time." 
— H.  H.  Waterton,  who  speaks  only  so  far  as  he  has  seen,  in 
his  vivid  essays  gives  a  similar  account  of  the  proceedings  of  a 


THE     MUTE     SWAN.  381 

Swan,  whom  he  indulged  in  the  free  use  of  his  wings,  for  the 
gratification  of  observing  his  graceful  evolutions  in  the  air.* 
But,  at  present,  the  discovery,  and  introduction,  and  disper- 
sion of  a  species  of  Swan,  that  would  be  really  tame,  and  stay 
at  home  without  being  tied  by  the  wing,  as  prolific,  and 
having  a  valuable  plumage  and  flesh  as  the  common  sort, 
would  be  one  of  the  most  valuable  boons  which  the  great 
London  societies  could  now  offer  to  the  proprietors  of  limited 
portions  of  fluvial  and  lacustrine  waters. 

The  following  extract  may  give  a  valuable  hint ;  unfortu- 
nately, it  does  not  state  whether  the  pinioning  knife  had  been 
used.  "  At  the  residence  of  the  governor  of  the  province  at 
Calix,  I  saw  three  Swans,  which,  having  been  taken  when 
young,  were  as  tame  as  Domestic  Geese,  to  which  these  birds 
are  so  much  alike  in  every  respect,  that  I  can  have  no  doubt 
of  their  belonging  to  one  genus.  Their  bill  is  flat  and  black 
at  the  extremity,  as  well  as  on  the  margins,  convex  and  some- 
what angular  in  the  middle,  so  far  at  least  that  the  swelling 
part  terminates  in  an  angle.  The  middle  is  fleshy  where  the 
oblong  nostrils  are  situated;  the  base,  flat  or  quadrangular, 
with  two  sinuses  pointing  upwards,  and  pale-coloured.  The 
margin  is  toothed,  just  like  the  Concha  Veneris  (Cyprsea.)" — 
Linnxus's  Tour  in  Lapland,  vol.  ii.  Mr.  Yarrell,  who,  of  all 
naturalists,  is  perhaps  best  acquainted  with  the  nice  distinc- 
tions that  separate  the  various  species  of  Swans,  seems  to  refer 
the  above  account  to  the  Hooper  or  Whistling  Swan. 

A  service  might  thus  be  rendered  to  economical  ornithology, 


*  "Its  powers  of  flight  were  truly  astonishing.  It  visited  all  the 
sheets  of  water  for  many  miles  around.  On  taking  its  excursions 
into  the  world  at  large,  I  would  often  say  to  it,  in  a  kindly  tone  of 
voice,  as  it  flew  over  my  head,  '  Qui  ainat  periculum,  peribit  in  illo ;' 
as  I  too  clearly  foresaw  that  foes  would  lie  in  ambush  for  it." — 
Essays,  2d  Series,  p.  122. 


382  THE     MUTE     SWAN. 

by  fairly  trying  the  Hooper,  of  whose  tameability  Linnaeus 
speaks  so  highly  ;  it  is  less  graceful,  however,  bearing  more 
resemblance  in  its  attitudes  and  carriage  to  the  Canada  Goose. 
There  is  also  the  Polish  Swan,  that  produces  white  Cygnets; 
and  Bewick's  Swan,  if  to  be  procured  alive,  might  originate 
a  stock  of  great  value  for  limited  pieces  of  water,  since  it 
averages  in  size  one-third  less  than  the  Cygnus  Olor.  None 
of  the  species  can  be  less  domestic  than  the  Mute  Swan,  if  it 
would  really  open  its  heart  to  us;  but,  being  a  "game"  bird, 
of  great  pluck,  it  carries  off  matters  with  a  high  hand,  and 
temporarily  conceals  its  hatred  of  the  trammels  in  which  it  is 
compelled  to  live ;  the  very  webs  of  its  feet  being  sometimes 
slit,  to  retard  it  in  its  unkind  chase  after  other  Water  Fowl. 
It  does  not  shrink  from  the  severest  weather  which  we  experi- 
ence, but  faces  the  pelting  storm,  as  if  anchored,  in  the  most 
exposed  parts  of  the  lake.  For  those  to  whom  the  amount  of 
purchase-money  is  of  little  importance,  there  is  the  Black 
Swan,  a  creature  of  much  gentler  manners,  less  in  size,  less 
tyrannical  to  other  birds,  and  indeed  altogether  taking  in  its 
ways.  It  is  strange  that  their  price  should  still  continue  so 
high,  as  they  breed  in  this  country,  frequently,  though  not 
abundantly,  under  circumstances  that  must  be  considered  un- 
favourable. I  suspect,  from  the  localities  in  Australia  where 
they  were  originally  found,  that  they  would  thrive  all  the 
better  for  an  occasional  marine  diet,  and  like  the  Sheldrake, 
enjoy  now  and  then  a  treat  of  cockles  and  shrimps,  with  per- 
haps a  barrowful  of  sea-weed  as  the  joint  on  which  to  cut 
and  come  again. 

Those  who  wish  to  make  themselves  acquainted  with  the 
habits  and  dispositions,  as  well  as  the  mere  figures  and  de- 
scriptions of  animals,  should  be  informed  that  all  living  crea- 
tures cannot  be  divided  into  two  distinct  ranks  of  Wild  and 
Tame,  as,  for  example,  the  Horse  and  the  Zebra  among 
quadrupeds,  and  the  Blue  Rock  Pigeon  and  the  Ringdove 


THE    MUTE     SWAN.  383 

among  birds,  just  as  they  would  separate  the  red  and  the 
white  men  on  a  chess-board,  but  that  there  is  a  most  perplex- 
ing intermediate  multitude,  neither  wild  nor  yet  tameable,  but 
usually  spoken  of  as  "familiar"  or  "half  domesticated,"  a 
term  without  meaning — dodging,  like  camp-followers,  on  the 
offskirts  of  human  society,  but  determined  never  to  enlist  in 
the  drilled  and  disciplined  ranks,  playing  the  game  of  "  off  and 
on,"  but  always  ending  with  the  "  off."  Such  .are,  among 
many  others,  the  Partridge,  Rats  and  Mice,  the  House  Spar- 
row, the  Water  Hen,  and,  at  a  still  greater  distance,  I  believe 
and  fear,  the  whole  genus  of  Swans  proper. 

Is  there  nothing  resembling  this  amongst  the  human  race  ? 
The  mention  of  the  word  "  Gipsy"  will  set  thought-capable 
persons  a-thinking.  "  Oh  !  but  they  have  been  neglected, 
uneducated,  ill-cared  for !  Educate  !  Educate !"  say  well-in- 
tentioned persons,  who  seem  to  declare  that  the  soul  of  man  is 
a  carte  blanche,  and  who  would  thereby,  unthinkingly,  deny 
the  doctrine  of  Original  Sin,  as  asserted  by  the  Church  of 
England.  But  I  have  seen  enough,  both  of  bird  and  mankind, 
to  know  that  the  heart  of  neither  is  a  carte  llanche — you 
cannot  write,  on  either,  whatever  may  be  your  pleasure  there 
to  inscribe.  Your  duty,  in  both  cases,  is  to  take  them  as  you 
find  them,  and  make  the  best  you  can  of  them  for  their  in- 
terest, which  will  be  found  eventually  to  coincide  with  your 
own. 

Swans,  then,  are  ferae  naturae  to  all  intents  and  purposes; 
of  that  there  is  no  doubt,  whatever  the  law  of  the  matter  may 
be :  but,  although  capricious  birds,  wild  in  their  very  nature, 
like  most  living  creatures  they  have  some  attachment  to  place. 
The  first  point,  therefore,  is  to  settle  them  agreeably  in  their 
destined  home.  Old  birds  are  less  likely  to  be  contented  with 
a  new  abode,  unless  very  distant  from  their  former  one,  and 
are  seldom  to  be  obtained  in  the  market.  Cygnets  may  be 
procured  every  autumn ;  if  they  have  been  put  up  to  fat  for 


384  THE    MUTE    SWAN 

some  time,  so  much  the  better,  as  they  will  the  sooner  become 
tame,  and  contented  with  a  small  range — which  I  am  sup- 
posing to  be  the  thing  required.  The  disadvantage  of  having 
Cygnets  to  begin  swan-keeping  with,  is,  that  they  are  less 
ornamental  till  they  have  attained  their  perfect  plumage,  and 
the  proper  orange-colour  of  the  bill,  and  that  they  do  not 
breed  till  their  third  year.  It  is  not,  however  generally 
known  that  the  male  is  capable  of  increasing  his  kind  a  year 
earlier  than  the  female ;  so  that  a  brood  may  be  obtained 
from  an  old  Hen,  and  a  Cock-bird  in  his  second  year.  In  se- 
lecting a  pair,  the  great  thing  is  to  make  sure  of  having  two 
birds  of  opposite  sexes.  Two  Cock-birds  will  not  live  together, 
and  their  mutual  aversion  would  soon  show  that  all  was  not 
right ;  but  two  Hens  will — which  is  the  case  also  with  Pigeons. 
A  friend  of  mine  procured  a  couple  of  Swans;  they  were 
affectionate  and  happy  in  each  other's  society  •  in  due  time 
they  made  their  nest  and  laid.  Great  were  the  expectations; 
such  a  plenty  of  Eggs;  both  Swans  assiduous  in  sitting — rather 
suspicious  that — the  produce,  addle-eggs.  The  two  ladies 
could  not  raise  up  a  family  between  them. 

In  selecting  any  Water-birds  whose  plumage  is  alike  in  both 
sexes,  and  which  cannot  therefore  be  distinguished  with  cer- 
tainty, the  best  rule  is  to  see  them  in  the  water,  and  take  that 
which  swims  deepest  for  the  female,  and  that  which  floats  with 
greatest  buoyancy  for  the  male,  remembering  that  all  creatures 
of  the  masculine  gender  have  the  largest  lungs  in  proportion 
to  their  size.  The  neck  of  the  Cock -bird  is  usually  thicker. 
An  experienced  eye  will,  besides,  detect  a  certain  feminine 
gentleness  and  modesty  in  the  one,  and  an  alacrity  and  bold- 
ness in  the  other,  which  is  a  tolerably  safe  guide,  as  well  as  an 
appropriate  and  becoming  attribute  to  the  creatures  themselves. 
It  is  cheaper  in  the  end  to  give  a  fair  price  for  a  pair  of  old, 
well-seasoned  birds  to  begin  with,  than  to  undergo  the  care, 
the  delay,  and  perhaps  the  disappointment  of  nursing  Cygnets 


THE     MUTE     SWAN.  385 

through  their  youth  of  three  long  years'  duration.  Bright- 
ness and  clearness  of  the  orange  on  the  bill,  and  full  develop- 
ment of  the  knob  or  "  berry/'  indicate  the  complete  maturity 
of  the  bird.  Supposing,  however,  the  reader  to  have  obtained 
two  Cygnets  that  are  not  mere  friends,  but  actually  husband 
and  wife,  he  will  recollect  that  those  reserved  for  fatting  are 
never  pinioned,  lest  it  should  check  their  progress ;  and  he  will 
request  the  operation  to  be  performed  before  he  has  them 
home,  in  order  that  they  may  have  the  fewest  possible  disa- 
greeable reminiscences  connected  with  the  spot  where  they 
are  to  spend  their  lives.  There  are  two  ways  of  pinioning 
birds;  at  the  elbow  joint,  and  at  the  wrist.  The  amputation 
of  the  part  of  the  wing  which  corresponds  to  our  hand  is  quite 
sufficient  to  prevent  the  flight  of  the  short-winged  species,  as 
far  as  migration  is  concerned,  disfigures  them  less  than  the 
closer  pruning,  and  still  leaves  them  the  means  of  escape  from 
a  dog  or  a  poacher,  allows  them  now  and  then  in  their  gam- 
bols to  fancy  they  are  free,  and  to  enjoy  a  sort  of  half-run, 
half-fly,  from  the  lawn  into  the  water.  Kindness,  comfort, 
and  good  feeding  must  be  employed  to  keep  them  at  home  as 
far  as  possible;  but  the  loss  of  the  last  joint  only  of  the  wing 
will  not  be  enough  to  prevent  Swans  from  joining  any  travel- 
ling companions  who  are  on  the  way  to  the  Artie  circle.  I 
should  recommend  the  female  to  be  pinioned  at  the  wrist,  the 
male  at  the  elbow,  trusting  to  their  mutual  attachment  to  keep 
the  less-maimed  bird  from  deserting  her  mate.  But  however 
it  be  done,  let  it  be  set  about  in  a  workmanlike  manner;  no 
chopping  nor  hacking,  nor  hewing,  nor  butchering.  Many 
Cygnets  are  annually  killed  by  the  clumsy  way  in  which  their 
wing  is  lopped  off.  They  suffer  from  the  shock  to  their  nerv- 
ous system  as  much  as  from  haemorrhage. 

A  skilful  operator  will  feel  for  the  joint,  divide  the  skin, 
and  turn  the  bone  neatly  out  of  the  socket.     I  will  allow  him 

33 


386  THE    MUTE     SWAN. 

to  shed  just  one  drop  of  blood — no  more.     I  would  be  as  hard 
upon  him  as  Portia  was  upon  the  flesh-cutting  Jew : 

"  This  bond  doth  give  here  no  jot  of  blood ; 
The  words  expressly  are  a  limb  of  swan ; 
Take  then  thy  bond,  take  thou  thy  limb  of  swan ; 
But,  in  the  cutting  it,  if  thou  dost  shed 
One  drop  of  cygnine  blood,  thy  clumsiness 
Shall  brand  the  name  of  '  Bungler'  on  thy  back. 
Therefore,  prepare  thee  to  cut  off  the  limb ; 
Shed  thou  no  blood ;  nor  cut  thou  less  nor  more, 
But  just  the  very  limb ;  if  thou  tak'st  more 
Or  less  than  just  the  limb,  thou  shalt  bewail 
The  consequence." 

If  any  brook  runs  into  and  from  the  pond  where  they  are 
to  remain,  their  escape  through  that  channel  must  be  pre- 
vented by  sheep-netting,  hurdles,  pales,  or  other  fencing, 
which  should  be  continued  some  distance  inland,  lest  they 
should  walk  away,  if  they  cannot  swim  away.  This  pre- 
caution will  be  found  particularly  necessary  if  there  is  any 
main  stream  in  the  immediate  neighbourhood.  A  feeding- 
trough  may  be  fixed  for  them  in  the  pond,  in  the  part  where 
it  is  most  desirable  that  they  should  be  accustomed  to  display 
themselves.  Those  who  are  fastidious  about  the  sight  of  such 
an  object,  or  who  wish  to  have  it  thought  that  the  Swans  keep 
so  much  in  view  from  purely  disinterested  motives,  (from  simple 
affection  to  their  masters,  not  from  the  greedy  love  of  corn,) 
may  contrive  to  have  it  hid  beneath  a  bank,  or  behind  a  tree 
or  shrub.  The  trough  must  be  fixed  in  the  pond,  on  two  firm 
posts,  within  arm's  length  of  the  shore,  raised  high  enough 
from  the  water  to  prevent  Ducks  from  stealing  the  food  con* 
tained  therein,  having  a  cover  which  lifts  up  by  hinges,  and 
so  forms  a  lid,  to  keep  out  Rats  and  Sparrows,  and  open  only 
in  front.  Many  persons,  however,  feed  their  Swans  by  simply 
throwing  the  corn  into  shallow  water.  They  will  skim  the 


THE    MUTE     SWAN.  387 

surface  for  the  light  grains  which  float,  and  then  submerge 
their  heads  in  search  of  that  which  has  sunk.  Should  any 
Carp  (that  fresh-water  Fox)  be  occupants  of  the  same  lake,  it 
will  be  found  that  they  soon  learn  the  accustomed  hours  of 
feeding,  and  will  come  to  take  their  share  along  with  their 
feathered  friends.  But  it  is  cruel  to  locate  a  pair  of  Swans, 
for  the  sake  of  their  beauty,  in  a  new-made  piece  of  water, 
whose  banks  and  bottom  are  as  barren  and  bare  as  the  inside 
of  a  hand-basin.  A  load  or  two  of  water-weeds  should  have 
been  thrown  in,  the  previous  spring,  to  propagate  themselves 
and  afford  pasturage.  Sometimes,  after  an  old-established 
sheet  has  been  cleansed  at  a  great  expense,  it  is  thought  that 
Swans  would  now  look  well  there,  and  they  are  forthwith 
turned  in,  to  be  starved ;  whereas  they  would  thankfully  have 
undertaken  the  cleansing  task  for  nothing.  Swan-food  exists 
in  proportion  to  the  shallowness  and  foulness,  not  to  the  extent 
and  clearness  of  the  water.  A  yard  of  margin  is  worth  a  mile 
of  deep  stream ;  one  muddy  Norfolk  broad,  with  its  oozy  banks, 
labyrinthine  creeks,  and  its  forests  of  rushes,  reeds,  and  sedges, 
is  better,  in  this  respect,  than  all  "the  blue  rushing  of  the 
arrowy  Khone,"  or  the  whole  azure  expanse  of  the  brilliant 
Lake  of  Geneva. 

In  confined  waters,  Swans  require  a  liberal  supply  of  food 
in  the  autumn,  when  the  weeds  run  short.  It  should  be  re- 
membered that  at  this  season  they  have  to  supply  themselves 
with  a  new  suit  of  clothes,  as  well  as  to  maintain  their  daily 
strength.  If  they  have  not  been  taught  to  eat  corn,  and  have 
not  acquired  a  notion  of  grazing,  they  will  perish  from  starva- 
tion as  undoubtedly  as  a  canary-bird  neglected  in  its  cage. 
Young  birds  are  apt  to  be  fanciful  or  stupid,  and  have  not 
sense  enough  to  come  on  the  bank  and  eat  grass,  or  pick  up 
the  threshed  corn  that  may  be  thrown  down  to  them.  Some- 
times they  may  be  tempted  with  a  lock  of  unthreshed  barley 
or  oats,  thrown,  straw  and  all,  into  the  water,  which  they  will 


388  THE    MUTE     SWAN. 

instinctively  lay  hold  of  and  devour.  Cygnets  which  havo 
been  previously  put  up  to  fatten,  will  give  little  or  no  trouble 
in  this  respect,  besides  the  advantage  of  being  accustomed  to 
the  near  approach  of  a  keeper. 

In  one  week  I  lost  two  Swans,  a  Cygnet,  and  a  year-old 
bird,  from  the  consequences,  I  fear,  of  a  few  days'  short  diet 
at  moulting  time.  Suspecting  foul  play  from  some  ill-natured 
person,  I  caused  a  post  mortem  examination  to  be  made  of 
that  which  died  last;  but,  in  a  literal  sense,  nothing  could  be 
found.  The  poor  thing  was  empty  and  emaciated,  though  it 
had  been  fed  with  corn  two  or  three  days  before,  and  though 
it  had  only  to  ascend  a  bank  a  foot  high  to  enjoy  a  plentiful 
feast  of  good  grass.  It  had  been  seen  sailing  about,  in  apparent 
health  and  spirits,  the  previous  evening,  and  my  mind  is  not 
yet  quite  satisfied  about  the  subject.  The  following  remarks 
may  perhaps  afford  some  clue  in  similar  cases. 

"Swans  wandering  by  night,  in  search  of  watercresses 
chiefly,  are  always  in  danger  from  the  different  vermin  which 
prey  upon  poultry  and  game — weasels,  stoats,  polecats,  &c. 
And  Swans  thus  destroyed  exhibit  no  wounds  or  marks  upon 
the  body;  but  upon  the  head  and  neck,  where,  on  a  minute 
inspection,  the  wounds  are  discovered  through  which  the 
vermin  have  sucked  the  life-blood,  leaving  the  bulk  so  little 
affected  that  the  feathers  are  unruffled.  The  wounds  appear 
scarcely  the  size  of  a  pin's  head,  but  are  generally  above  half 
an  inch  deep.  Geese  and  Turkeys  are  also  liable  to  be  de- 
stroyed by  these  nocturnal  marauders,  which,  like  all  beasts 
of  prey,  sleep  throughout  the  day." — Moubray  on  Poultry, 
8th  edition,  p.  128. 

One  would  doubt  the  fact  of  so  large  a  bird  as  the  Swan 
falling  a  victim  to  a  wretched  little  weasel.  But  a  relation 
of  mine  had  a  pair  of  Canada  Geese,  birds  little  inferior  in 
size  to  the  Swan,  which  in  the  breeding  season  were  suffered 
to  shift  their  quarters  from  the  farm-yard,  their  usual  abode, 


THE     MUTE     SWAN.  889 

to  a  neighbouring  broad,  where  he  had  rights.  After  a  time 
one  bird  returned  home  alone,  and  its  missing  mate  was  at 
length  discovered,  half-decomposed,  on  a  sedgy  islet  in  the 
broad,  in  such  a  position  as  to  indicate  that  it  had  been  sur- 
prised and  killed  by  one  of  the  larger  weasels,  a  stoat,  or  a 
polecat. 

Considerable  difference  of  opinion  has  been  entertained  re- 
specting the  diet  of  the  Swan;  some  supposing  it  to  be  ex- 
clusively vegetable,  others  believing  that  fish  enter  largely 
into  it.  My  own  observations  tend  to  prove  that  a  very  con- 
siderable part  of  their  nutriment  is  obtained  from  minute 
insects  and  molluscs.  The  sluggish,  weedy  waters,  where 
Swans  thrive  best,  abound  with  such  creatures;  and  the  Whale 
is  a  sufficient  example  that  the  size  of.  the  prey  is  no  index  to 
the  magnitude  of  the  creatures  that  subsist  on  it.  Swans  fall 
off  in  condition  very  rapidly  in  autumn,  however  liberally  they 
are  supplied  with  corn,  immediately  that  the  temperature 
drops  to  any  extent,  and  the  minor  inhabitants  of  the  pools 
disappear  into  their  winter  retreats.  A  very  small  fish  might 
now  and  then  not  come  amiss  to  them,  and  spawn  would  be 
greedily  devoured.  A  Swan  must  be  considerably  more  de- 
structive in  this  respect  than  the  poor  little  "Water  Ouzel, 
which  is  so  bitterly  persecuted  along  the  salmon-streams  of 
Scotland,  for  the  alleged  injury  it  does  to  the  ova  of  the  fish. 
The  seeds  of  grasses,  and  the  soft  starchy  parts  of  aquatic 
plants,  are  no  doubt  a  considerable  portion  of  the  daily  ration 
of  the  Swan.  It  seems  to  prefer  sloppy,  half-decayed  vegeta- 
tion, to  that  which  is  fresh  and  crisp.  Spare  garden-stuff, 
spinach,  and  such  like,  thrown  out  for  them,  is  liked  all  the 
better  for  having  lain  soaking  at  least  twenty-four  hours,  that 
is,  in  such  time  as  it  has  become  sodden  and  attacked  by  small 
fresh-water  shell-fish.  If  their  mode  of  feeding  is  watched,  it 
will  be  found  to  countenance  the  popular  belief  that  many 
birds  live  "  by  suction ;"  they  appear  to  suck  down  the  pappy 

83* 


390  THE     MUTE     SWAN. 

food,  which  pleases  them  best,  rather  than  fairly  to  crop  and 
swallow  it. 

Consequently,  there  is  no  bird  in  the  least  comparable  to 
the  Swan  as  an  agent  for  clearing  a  pond  of  weeds.  It  does 
not,  however,  eat  all  weeds  indiscriminately  j  it  seems  scarcely 
to  touch  the  water-lilies,  white  and  yellow,  except  perhaps  in 
a  very  young  state,  though  it  no  doubt  checks  their  increase 
by  seed.  These,  when  too  numerous,  may  be  uprooted  by 
means  of  a  long  pole  armed  with  an  iron  claw,  and  used  either 
from  the  shore  or  from  a  boat;  once  detached  from  their 
moorings,  they  may  be  floated  away.  Swans  seem  to  prefer, 
first,  what  we  call  the  lower  forms  of  vegetation,  the  Con- 
fervse  and  the  Characeae,  then  the  Callitricha  aquatica,  or 
Water  Starwort,  and  the  long  list  of  Potamogctons,  or  Pond- 
weeds  :  the  rhizomata  of  all  sorts  of  reeds,  rushes,  arrow-heads, 
&c.,  are  greedily  torn  up  and  devoured.  A  lake  of  half  an 
acre  in  extent  is  quite  large  enough  (with  the  assistance  of 
corn,  refuse  vegetables,  and  grass-clippings,  when  the  weeds 
run  short)  not  only  to  maintain  a  pair  of  Swans,  but  to  supply 
an  acceptable  lot  of  fat  Cygnets  every  autumn.  Swans  have 
been  kept  successfully  in  a  much  more  limited  space.  But  in 
one  instance  within  my  own  knowledge,  where  the  extent  of 
water  is  not  a  quarter  of  an  acre,  the  annual  brood,  as  soon  as 
they  entered  the  pond  in  company  with  their  parents,  were 
devoured  by  some  enormous  pet  Pike  that  equally  shared  their 
owner's  favour — a  hint  that  one  cannot  breed  Swans  and  fresh- 
water sharks  at  the  same  time  and  place. 

The  Swan,  consuming  the  submerged  refuse  of  plants,  is 
thus  the  scavenger  of  the  waters,  as  the  Hyaena  and  the 
Vulture  are  of  the  land.  In  such  countries  as  Holland,  and 
still  more  about  the  deltas  of  large  rivers  in  the  south  of  Europe 
and  western  Asia,  their  influence  must  be  very  beneficial.  In- 
deed, we  are  compelled  to  believe  that  they  have  been  bounti- 
fully created  to  fulfil  this  office  of  cleansing  the  half-stagnant 


THE     MUTE     SWAN.  391 

water-courses.  Unlike  the  old  dragons  that  could  exhale  a 
pestilence  and  infect  a  whole  district  with  their  breath,  these 
winged  tenants  of  the  marsh  swallow  many  a  plague  and  fever 
up.  Not  a  little  miasma  has  travelled  harmlessly  down  the 
throats  of  Swans.  They  can  fatten  on  poisons,  although  igno- 
rant of  King  Mithridates  or  his  antidote. 

A  curious  instance  of  the  animal  diet  of  the  Swan  once 
occurred  to  myself.  The  common  brown  shrimp,  it  is  well 
known,  inhabits,  and  thrives  in  waters  less  strongly  im- 
pregnated with  salt  than  the  open  sea,  which  is  not  the  case 
with  several  other  species :  and  I  was  desirous  of  trying 
whether  it  were  possible  to  stock  with  them  a  piece  of  water 
absolutely  fresh.  A  quantity  were  procured  and  brought 
home  in  a  fish-kettle  of  tidal  river-water ;  but  the  heat  of  the 
weather  at  the  time  was  much  against  the  success  of  the  ex- 
periment. On  arriving  at  their  journey's  end,  the  great  ma- 
jority were  dead.  They  were  all,  however,  turned  out  together : 
a  few  swam  off  apparently  unaffected  by  the  unwonted  element, 
and  were  never  seen  or  heard  of  afterwards ;  the  rest  sank  to 
the  bottom ;  when  one  of  my  Swans,  expecting  her  feed  of 
cord,  sailed  up,  and  began  feasting  on  the  dead  shrimps,  crush- 
ing them  in  her  bill  before  she  swallowed  them,  and  appearing 
much  to  relish  her  meal. 

The  difficulty  there  sometimes  is  in  getting  Swans  to  eat 
corn,  or  to  graze  like  Geese,  shows  that  either  diet  is  with  them 
an  acquired  taste. 

At  the  proper  age  and  season  they  will  show  a  disposition  to 
breed,  if  well  fed,  although  restricted  within  comparatively 
narrow  limits.  As  soon  as  they  have  decidedly  fixed  upon  the 
spot  for  their  nest,  it  will  be  an  assistance  to  take  them  two 
or  three  barrowfuls  of  coarse  litter.  Sedges  and  rushes  are  the 
best,  with  perhaps  a  few  sticks,  which  they  can  arrange  at  their 
own  pleasure.  The  number  of  Eggs  laid  will  vary  from  five 
or  six  to  ten,  but  the  number  of  Cygnets  hatched  seems,  like 


392  THE     MUTE     SWAN. 

the  fall  of  lambs,  to  depend  much  upon  the  season  and  the 
•weather  of  the  few  preceding  months.  One  year  the  threo 
pairs  of  Swans  nearest  to  me  had  each  a  brood  of  nine — • 
twenty-seven  Cygnets  in  only  three  families.  But  this  is 
above  the  average.  I  have,  however,  seen  seven  reared  on  a 
very  small  inoat.  It  is  better  not  to  gratify  any  unnecessary 
curiosity  respecting  the  Eggs;  indeed  the  parent  birds  will 
hardly  allow  it.  The  Cock  makes  great  show,  and  often  more 
than  show  of  fight  against  interlopers.  A  blow  from  his 
pinion  on  land  is  better  avoided;  and  in  the  water  he  would 
bother  the  strongest  sniirnrner  to  escape  from  his  fury.  I  was 
once  attacked  by  a  Swan,  when  walking  too  intrusively  near 
his  lady's  lying-in  bed ;  he  was  keeping  guard,  by  sailing  in 
short  tacks  backwards  and  forwards  before  her,  but  he  left  the 
water  to  give  me  a  forcible  hint  to  go  about  my  own  business. 
The  only  thing  was  to  meet  the  threatened  danger ;  so,  seizing 
his  neck  in  one  hand  and  his  outstretched  wing  in  the  other,  I 
tossed  him  as  far  into  the  middle  of  the  stream  as  I  could.  He 
seemed  a  little  astonished  for  a  few  moments,  but,  lashing  the 
waters  into  foam,  he  would  have  renewed  the  attack,  had  I  not 
speedily  withdrawn  from  his  dominions.  Coming  to  close 
quarters  with  them  is  the  surest  mode  of  defence.  The  blow 
of  a  Swan's  wing,  to  take  effect,  must  hit  from  a  certain  dis- 
tance. It  is  clear  they  are  mischievously  minded  at  such  times ; 
but  I  think  that  the  real  danger  to  be  apprehended  has,  from 
policy,  been  exaggerated,  that  it  may  act  as  a  sort  of  guardian 
dragon  to  the  tempting  fruit  of  the  Hesperides.  There  are 
possibly  persons  living  who  would  not  be  unwilling  to  have  it 
believed  that  Hares  and  Pheasants  are  most  formidable 
creatures  to  encounter,  especially  on  moonlight  nights. 

The  Cygnets,  when  first  hatched,  are  of  a  slaty  gray,  in- 
clining to  mouse-colour.  The  time  of  incubation  is  six  we<?ks, 
or  thereabouts.  A  common  notion  in  Norfolk  is,  that  the 
Cygnets  cannot  be  hatched  till  a  thunder-storm  comes  to  break 


THE     MUTE     SWAN.  393 

the  shells,  and  that  the  Hen  will  go  on  sitting  till  the  birth  of 
her  young  ones  is  complimented  with  that  portentous  salute. 
A  Swan  might  boast,  with  Owen  Grlendower — 

"  At  my  nativity 

The  front  of  heaven  was  full  of  fiery  shapes, 
Of  burning  cressets  ;  know,  that  at  my  birth 
The  frame  and  the  foundations  of  the  earth 
Shook  like  a  coward." 

Let  us  not  reply  in  the  contemptuous  language  of  Hotspur, 
nor  altogether  reject  the  popular  idea ;  the  close  sultry  weather 
which  sometimes  for  two  or  three  days  precedes  a  tempest, 
would  hasten  the  development  of  Chicks  that  were  nearly  ar- 
rived at  the  hatching  point.  What  effect  electrical  oscillations 
have  on  animal  life  we  as  yet  know  not,  but  our  own  feelings 
tell  us  they  have  some. 

The  happy  parents  will  charge  themselves  with  the  entire 
maintenance  of  their  tender  young,  if  they  have  but  the  range 
of  a  large  extent  of  river  banks  and  shallow  water ;  will  lead 
them  up  the  quiet  ditches,  point  out  the  juicy  blade,  the  float- 
ing seed,  the  struggling  insect,  the  sinuous  worm ;  will  then 
steer  to  shoals  left  by  some  circling  eddy,  and,  stirring  up  the 
soft  sediment  with  their  broad  feet,  show  that  minute  but  nu- 
tritious particles  may  thence  be  extracted.  As  hunger  is 
satisfied  and  weariness  comes  on,  the  mother  will  sink  in  the 
stream  till  her  back  becomes  an  easy  landing-place,  and  the 
nurslings  are  thus  transferred,  in  a  secure  and  downy  cradle,  to 
fresh  feeding-places. 

But  in  a  restricted  beat  they  must  not  be  left  altogether  to 
themselves.  A  glently  sloping  bank  will  enable  them  to  repair 
at  pleasure  to  the  grassy  margin.  The  old  ones  must  have 
plenty  of  corn,  which  they  will  by-and-by  teach  their  young 
to  eat;  tender  vegetables  from  the  kitchen-garden,  such  as 
endive,  lettuce,  or  cress,  will  help  to  sustain  them,  besides 
attracting  those  soft-bodied  water-creatures  that  are  of  all  food 


394  THE    MUTE     SWAN. 

the  most  needful.  Pollard  frequently  scattered  on  the  surface 
of  the  pond  will  be  of  material  assistance  ;  and  whatever  it  is 
found  that  they  will  eat,  let  them  have  in  the  greatest 
abundance.  Their  growth  is  rapid ;  their  weight  should  be 
considerable,  with  but  little  time  to  acquire  it  in.  The  period 
cannot  be  extended  much  longer  than  from  June  to  the  end 
of  November.  By  Christmas  they  must  all  either  be  eaten, 
or  have  emigrated,  when  the  parents  will  begin  to  direct  their 
thoughts  forward  to  a  succeeding  family.  Confined  Swans 
sometimes  get  a  sort  of  quid  of  mud,  fibres,  and  gravel,  under 
their  chins,  which  it  is  as  well  now  and  then  to  examine  and 
clean  out. 

A  fat  Cygnet  is  a  capital  dish,  and  deserves  a  higher  repute 
than  it  generally  obtains.  Its  stately  appearance  on  the  table 
is  alone  worth  something.  Those  who  have  only  a  good-sized 
pond — say  from  a  quarter  to  half  an  acre  of  water — may  rear 
and  fat  an  annual  brood.  In  so  small  a  space,  the  old  birds 
must  of  course  share  with  their  young  the  extra  supply  of  fat- 
ting corn  ;  but  they  will  get  through  the  winter  the  better  for 
it,  and  be  more  prolific  in  the  spring.  Neither  they  nor  their 
Cygnets  should  at  any  time  be  allowed  to  become  poor. 

When  Cygnets  are  removed  from  their  parents,  to  be  fatted 
in  a  regular  Swan-pond,  it  is  usual  to  separate  them  at  the  end 
of  August  or  the  beginning  of  September.  At  first,  grass  is 
thrown  into  the  water  to  them  twice  a  day,  with  their  other 
food;  but  this  is  not  continued  for  more  than  a  fortnight.  A 
comb  of  barley  is  the  established  allowance  to  fat  each  Swan. 
The  corn  is  put  into  shallow  tubs,  set  just  under  water.  The 
birds  are  considered  worth  from  10s.  to  12s.  each  when  they 
are  "hopped"  or  "upped"  from  their  native  streams;  but 
when  brought  into  prime  condition,  2L,  formerly  21.  2s.  They 
may  occasionally  be  had  for  less,  in  which  case  they  make  a 
cheap  as  well  as  a  handsome  dish  to  set  before  a  large  dinner 
party.  Their  weight  in  the  feathers  varies  from  25  Ibs.  to 
28  Ibs.  and  sometimes,  though  rarely,  30  Ibs.  They  are  never 


THE     MUTE     SWAN.  395 

better  than  in  the  month  of  November,  when  the  gastro- 
nomical  enquirer,  who  is  yet  unacquainted  with  their,  merits, 
is  recommended  to  give  them  a  fair  and  impartial  trial.  They 
may  be  had  till  Christmas,  after  which  they  are  good  for 
nothing.  A  bird  weighing  28  Ibs.  before  Christmas,  has  been 
known  to  shrink  to  17  or  18  Ibs.  by  the  end  of  January,  in 
spite  of  high  feeding.  Therefore,  make  hay  while  the  sun 
shines,  Mr.  Epicure.  As,  in  the  spring,  the  snow-drop  gives 
way  to  the  primrose  and  the  violet,  so,  in  autumn,  the  Swan 
yields  its  place  on  the  board  to  the  Turkey  and  the  Guinea 
Fowl.  If  to-day  is  lost,  to-morrow  the  opportunity  will  have 
flown,  in  higher  concerns  than  mere  eating  and  drinking.  Now 
— or,  perhaps,  never. 

The  Swan-feasts  that  seem  to  have  left  the  most  pleasing 
impressions  on  the  palates  of  the  partakers  have  been  solem- 
nized as  early  as  the  month  of  September.  As  to  the  mode 
of  dressing,  those  artists  who  are  skilled  in  the  treatment  of 
venison  will  easily  cook  Swan,  viz.,  with  a  meal  crust  over  it, 
to  keep  the  gravy  in.  Instead  of  stuffing  it  with  sage  and 
onions,  like  a  Goose,  (vulgar  condiments  to  vulgar  birds,)  use 
rump-steak  chopped  fine,  and  seasoned  with  cayenne  and  salt. 
When  browned,  and  served  to  an  admiring  circle,  let  it  have 
rich  gravy  and  currant-jelly,  the  latter  hot  as  well  as  cold,  in 
respectful  attendance. — And  is  that  all?  No,  the  best  re- 
mains behind.  The  hash  next  day  is  worth  riding  twenty 
miles  to  eat.  Nay,  more  ;  the  giblets  make  soup  before  which 
ox-tail  sinks  into  insignificance.  The  mere  writing  about  it 
has  made  me  hungry.  Mr.  Yarrell  gives  some  information  on 
the  subject,  which  I  will  not  wrong  him  by  pirating.  See 
"  British  Birds,"  vol.  iii.  p.  127.  He  has  also  collected  a 
curious  list  of  swan-marks.* 

*0ne  of  my  correspondents  in  South  Carolina,  Hugh  Wilson,  Esq., 
informs  me  that,  in  the  winter  season,  Swans  are  quite  numerous  in 
that  region,  and  are  frequently  taken  alive. — ED. 


396 


CHAPTER   XXVI. 

THE    WILD     GOOSE. 

THIS  Bird  is  called  by  European  writers,  the  Canada  Goose. 
It  is  capable  of  domestication,  and,  as  a  Wild  Bird,  breeds  in 
the  Arctic  regions,  going  south  on  the  approach  of  winter ;  its 
migrations  north,  are  the  sure  sign  of  returning  spring.  Over 
all  the  Atlantic  States,  at  least,  the  inhabitants  are  quite  fa- 
miliar with  its  passing  and  repassing. 

It  is  said,  with  what  truth  I  know  not,  that,  though  the 
"Wild  Goose  will  breed  with  the  Domestic,  yet  the  half-breds 
will  not  breed  with  each  other. 

Mr.  Dixon  is  under  the  impression,  that  what  he  calls  the 
Canada,  (the  same  as  our  Wild  Goose,)  the  Bernicle,  and  the 
Brent  Goose,  are  all  occasionally  mistaken  for  each  other. 
This  he  attributes  to  what  he  calls,  and  justly  too,  the  compil- 
ing system  of  Zoological  literature;  for  he  says,  that  the 
history  of  the  Anser  Oanadensis,  in  a  state  of  nature,  and  in 
captivity,  has  been  so  well  and  so  fully  written  by  the  ablest 
ornithologists,  both  of  England  and  America,  that  for  me  to 
attempt  giving  complete  details,  would  be  either  to  restate  the 
same  facts  in  less  appropriate  language,  or  to  commit  a  whole- 
sale plunder  of  compilation  upon  the  stores  of  preceding  au- 
thors. But,  although  unwilling  to  be  guilty  of  this  kind  of 
pillage,  I  must  necessarily  make  some  reference  to  the  labours 


i 


THE    WILD    GOOSE.  397 

of  others.  The  bird  is  far  too  important,  in  every  respect,  to 
be  entirely  omitted  in  the  present  series ;  and  there  are  a  few 
points  respecting  it,  which  ought  to  be  brought  into  more  pro- 
minent notice.  Our  Poultry  books  mostly  call  it  a  variety  of 
the  Common  Goose.  But  it  is  no  more  a  variety  of  Goose 
than  the  Swan  is  a  variety  of  Goose.  Cuvier  seems  to  doubt 
whether  it  is  a  Goose  at  all,  and  says  that  it  cannot  be  properly 
separated  from  the  true  Swans.  Audubon  kept  some  three 
years,  and,  though  the  old  birds  refused  to  breed  in  confine- 
ment, their  young,  which  he  had  captured  together  with  them, 
did.  He  states  their  period  of  incubation  to  be  twenty-eight 
days,  which  is  a  shorter  time  than  one  would  have  imagined. 
That  circumstance  alone,  if  correct,  marks  a  wide  distinction ; 
and  every  statement  of  his,  which  I  have  had  the  opportunity 
of  testing,  has  proved  accurate.  I  suspect  that  at  a  future 
time,  our  scientific  naturalists  will  deem  it  advisable  to  insti- 
tute several  new  genera,  for  the  reception  of  various  water- 
fowl that  are  now  huddled  into  one  or  two ;  particularly  if 
they  allow  the  diet  and  habits  of  the  birds,  as  well  as  their  ex- 
ternal form,  to  influence  the  rules  of  classification. 

Canada  Geese  eat  worms  and  soft  insects,  as  well  as  grass 
and  aquatic  plants,  which  the  typical  Geese  never  do ;  with  us 
they  do  not  breed  till  they  are  at  least  two  years  old,  and  so 
far  approach  the  Swan.  Like  the  Swan,  also,  the  male  appears 
to  be  fit  for  reproduction  earlier  than  the  female.  But  Audu- 
bon says,  "  That  this  tardiness  is  not  the  case  in  the  wild  state, 
I  feel  pretty  confident,  for  I  have  observed  having  broods  of 
their  own,  many  individuals,  which,  by  their  size,  the  dullness 
of  their  plumage,  and  such  other  marks  as  are  known  to  the 
practised  ornithologist,  I  judged  to  be  not  more  than  fifteen 
or  sixteen  months  old.  I  have  therefore  thought,  that  in  this, 
as  in  many  other  species,  a  long  series  of  years  is  necessary  for 
counteracting  the  original  wild  and  free  nature  which  has  been 
given  them ;  and,  indeed,  it  seems  probable  that  our  attempts 

N 


398  THE     WILD     GOOSE. 

to  domesticate  many  species  of  wild  fowls,  which  would  provo 
useful  to  mankind,  have  often  been  abandoned  in  despair,  when 
a  few  years  more  of  constant  care  might  have  produced  the 
desired  effect."  The  Canada  Goose,  in  spite  of  its  original 
migratory  habits,  which  it  appears  in  almost  every  case  to 
forget  in  England,  shows  much  more  disposition  for  true  d> 
mestication  than  the  Swan,  and  may  be  maintained  in  perfect 
health  with  very  limited  opportunities  of  bathing. 

The  manner  in  which  these  birds  are  usually  kept  here,  is 
neither  consistent  with  their  natural  habits,  nor  calculated  to 
develop  their  usefulness  and  merit.  They  are  mostly  retained 
as  ornaments  to  large  parks,  where  there  is  an  extensive  range 
of  grass  and  water :  so  far,  all  is  as  it  should  be.  But  they 
are  there  generally  associated  with  other  species  of  Geese  and 
water  fowl,  all  being  of  a  sociable  disposition,  and  forming 
one  heterogeneous  flock.  In  the  breeding  season,  they  neither 
can  agree  among  themselves  to  differ  seriously,  nor  yet  to  live 
together  in  peace ;  the  consequence  is,  that  they  interrupt  each 
other's  love-making,  keep  up  a  constant  bickering,  without 
coining  to  the  decisive  quarrels  and  battles  that  would  set  all 
right;  and  in  the  end  we  have  birds  without  mates,  Eggs  unferti- 
lized, and  now  and  then  a  few  monstrous  hybrids,  which,  how- 
ever some  curious  persons  may  prize  them,  are  as  ugly  as  they 
are  unnatural,  and  by  no  means  recompense  by  their  rarity  for 
the  absence  of  two  or  three  broods  of  healthy  legitimate  gos- 
lings. Many  writers,  Audubon  among  others,  from  whom 
one  would  have  expected  a  more  healthy  taste,  speaks  highly 
of  the  half-bred  Canada  Goose.  They  are  very  large,  it  is 
true,  and  may  merit  approbation  on  the  table ;  but  with  what- 
ever other  species  the  cross  is  made,  they  are  hideously  dis- 
pleasing. An  old-fashioned  plan  of  sweeping  chimneys  was 
to  tie  the  legs  of  a  Goose,  pull  her  up  and  down  by  a  string, 
and  let  her  dislodge  the  soot  by  the  flapping  of  her  wings. 
This  sounds  cruel,  and  is  not  humane.  But  is  it  more  barba- 


THE     WILD     GOOSE.  399 

rous  to  send  a  Goose  down  a  chimney,  than  a  child  up  it  ? 
This  by  the  way :  but  all  half-bred  Canada  Geese,  that  I  have 
seen,  look  as  if  they  had  kindly  undertaken  to  act  as  substi- 
tute for  the  poor  little  climbing  boy  or  girl. 

Not  only  are  they  suffered  thus  to  herd  with  other  varie- 
ties, but  the  broods  of  successive  years  are  allowed  to  remain, 
and  annoy,  and  encroach  upon  the  privileges  of  their  parents, 
(which  would  be  made  all  square  by  their  natural  migrations,) 
till  the  park  gets  evidently  overstocked  to  the  most  unprac- 
tised eye — it  has  really  been  so  long  before — and  then  a 
few  surplus  individuals  are  disposed  of,  mostly  at  an  age  and 
season  when  they  are  good  for  little  except  their  feathers,  if 
for  them.  This  mode  of  mismanagement  accounts  for  the  low 
esteem  in  which  the  flesh  of  the  Canada  Goose  is  held  in  Eng- 
land. I  never  met  with  any  one  who  had  tasted  it  here,  that 
did  not  pronounce  it  detestable  j  though  a  gentleman  who  had 
lived  on  it  for  weeks  in  Canada,  still  remembered  it  with 
relish.  In  one  instance  within  my  own  knowledge,  the  extra 
stock  were  given  to  the  poor,  who  could  not  or  would  not  eat 
them.  But  it  is  impossible  that  the  thousands  of  people  who 
eagerly  destroy  the  bird  in  its  passage  to  and  fro,  can  be  mis- 
taken in  the  opinion  they  have  for  years  held  of  its  value  as 
an  article  of  diet.  Audubon  gives  the  clue  to  our  error ;  he 
says,  "  the  goslings  bred  in  the  inland  districts,  and  procured 
in  September,  in  my  opinion  far  surpass  the  renowned  Can- 
vas-back Duck" — the  most  famous  tit-bit  that  America  pro- 
duces. He  adds,  "  every  portion  of  it  is  useful  to  Man  ;  for  be- 
sides the  value  of  the  flesh  as  an  article  of  food,  the  feathers, 
the  quills,  and  the  fat  are  held  in  request.  The  Eggs  also 
afford  very  good  eating." 

Instead  of  this  slovenly  mode  of  breeding  and  feeding, 
which  no  one  would  think  of  adopting  with  the  most  ordinary 
Goose  that  ever  grazed  upon  a  common,  I  would,  not  unad- 
visedly, recommend  every  flock  of  Canada  Geese  to  be  in  No- 


400  THE     WILD     GOOSE. 

vember  immediately  reduced  to  two,  (in  order  to  guard  against 
accident  to  one,)  or,  at  the  most,  three  pairs,  in  the  very 
largest  park,  and  greatest  extent  of  water,  possessed  by  our  no 
bility.  Such  pairs  should  be  retained,  as  differ  as  much  in  age, 
as  may  be  consistent  with  their  breeding  powers ;  and  also,  if 
possible,  those  should  be  selected  which  have  been  observed  to 
entertain  a  mutual  dislike,  in  order  that  they  may  fix  their 
nests  at  a  distance  from  each  other.  They  should  previously 
have  become  attached  to  their  keeper,  though  not  to  their  co- 
mates,  that  they  may  suffer  him  to  approach  and  feed  them 
and  their  Goslings  liberally,  and  so  bring  them  into  thoroughly 
good  condition  by  killing-time. 

The  stock-birds  ought  to  be  well  supplied  with  corn  during 
winter  when  the  grass  grows  little  or  not  at  all,  to  promote 
early  laying;  but  they  usually  have  just  half  a  dozen  kernels 
of  barley  thrown  down  to  them  now  and  then.  No  one  can 
blame  them,  if  they  occasionally  stray  out  of  bounds  in  search 
of  food ;  but  they  are  then  accused  of  restlessness,  shyness, 
and  so  on.  They  have  been  literally  starved  out.  It  is  no 
migratory  impulse  that  sets  them  on  the  move,  but  over- 
crowding and  under-feeding;  in  proof  of  which,  they  will 
generally  return  of  their  own  accord.  I  am  speaking  of  birds 
that  have  been  bred  in  captivity  for  several  generations. 
Give  them  room  and  food  enough,  and  they  will  stay  con- 
tentedly at  home.  Curtail  their  supplies,  and  they  become 
like  "darkness"  in  Spofforth's  well-known  glee;  " flies  away" 
is  ever  and  again  the  burden  of  their  song.  The  Canada 
Goose  is  a  very  large  bird,  and  cannot  be  expected  to  live  and 
get  fat  upon  air.  If  a  farmer's  wife  were  to  treat  her  Turkeys 
as  the  Canada  Goslings  are  usually  served,  they  would  at 
Christmas  be  just  as  tough  and  stringy,  and  uneatable,  if  in- 
deed they  survived  the  pinching  regimen  so  long.  Many 
people  in  the  country  make  the  same  difference  in  their  treat- 
ment of  their  ornamental  Fowls  and  their  ordinary  stock,  that 


THE    WILD     GOOSE.  401 

they  do  between  their  garden  and  their  farm.  The  garden 
goes  without  a  spadeful  of  manure  from  one  end  of  a  seven 
years'  lease  to  another ;  the  turnip-field  is  glutted  with  guano 
and  all  sorts  of  good  things.  And  so,  exotic  birds,  procured 
at  considerable  expense,  or  received  as  highly  valued  presents 
from  friends,  are  turned  out  in  a  grassy  wilderness,  to  shift 
for  themselves  as  best  they  may,  while  the  Turkeys  and  Gos- 
lings are  taken  as  much  care  of  as  their  master's  children.  To 
a  late  inquiry  after  the  fate  of  a  pair  sent  to  a  distance,  I  got 
for  answer,  "One  flew  away,  and  the  other  the  Swan  killed." 
The  growing  Canada  Geese  must  sensibly  miss  the  abundance 
of  their  native  breeding-places,  when  confined  to  these  short 
commons;  and  it  is  not  Justin  us,  after  such  neglect  and 
penuriousness  on  our  part,  to  complain  that  they  neither  fat 
well  nor  reproduce  at  an  early  age. 

From  each  pair  of  Geese,  properly  looked  after,  between  six 
and  nine  Goslings  may  fairly  be  calculated  upon;  which, 
killed  in  the  autumn,  when  really  plump,  would  be  very  ac- 
ceptable at  home,  or,  as  presents  to  unprejudiced  persons. 
Managed  thus,  they  would  be  little,  or,  according  to  Audubon, 
not  at  all  inferior  to  a  fatted  Cygnet.  And  their  picturesque 
effect,  as  accessaries  in  landscape  gardening,  would  surely  be 
greater  in  distinct  uniformly  tinted  groups,  moving  here  and 
there  across  the  scene  with  a  decided  object,  namely,  the  con- 
ducting of  their  young,  than  as  a  motley  crowd  of  diversely- 
coloured,  variously-shaped  creatures,  huddled  together  in 
unmeaning  confusion.  The  woodland-park  should  be  stocked 
on  different  principles  to  the  aviary  and  the  menagerie.  Thus 
it  is  as  a  spot  of  pure  white  that  the  Swan  gives  such  a  spark- 
ling brilliancy  to  the  picture ;  and  the  point  of  deepest  shade 
(an  adjunct  of  no  less  importance  to  the  painter)  may  be  made 
more  intense  and  effective  by  the  judicious  employment  of  the 
Canada  Goose. 

When  a  pair  are  received  from  a  distance,  the  best  way  of 

34* 


402  THE     WILD     GOOSE. 

settling  them  in  their  new  abode  is  to  confine  them  with  hur- 
dles and  netting,  as  near  as  possible  to  the  spot  where  it 
is  wished  they  should  eventually  make  their  nest.  Those 
from  the  hands  of  dealers  will  generally  be  cowed  or  timidly 
tame  j  but  young  birds,  fresh  taken  from  their  parents,  or 
adult  ones  that  have  been  removed  from  their  old  home  to  a 
new  one,  will  sulk  and  be  shy.  For  the  first  few  hours  they 
need  have  nothing  to  eat,  only  plenty  of  water  to  drink. 
Their  keeper  should  show  himself  to  them,  and  speak  to  them 
kindly,  as  often  as  his  leisure  will  permit;  when  he  guesses 
that  they  begin  to  fell  the  cravings  of  hunger,  a  small  handful 
of  corn  may  be  thrown  down  to  them,  a  cabbage  or  two,  and 
half  a  dozen  earth-worms.  It  is,  of  course,  supposed  that  they 
have  been  located  on  the  grass.  It  is  likely  that  at  first  they 
will  not  eat  in  the  presence  of  a  stranger :  they  may  be  left 
for  ac^hour  or  so,  when,  if  they  have  availed  themselves  of 
his  absence,  he  may  give  them  a  little  more  from  time  to  time. 
Proceeding  thus  by  kindness,  familiarity,  and  very  frequent 
visits,  he  will  soon  secure  their  confidence,  and  be  able  to  form 
his  own  judgment  when  they  may  be  suffered  to  range  at 
large. 

The  young  are  active,  self-helping  little  things.  Their 
down  is  of  a  dirty  gray,  a  colour  very  difficult  to  describe,  with 
darker  patches  here  and  there,  like  the  young  of  the  China 
Goose.  Their  bill,  eyes,  and  legs  are  black.  They  give  no 
trouble  in  rearing.  The  old  ones  lead  them  to  the  places 
•where  suitable  food  is  to  be  obtained.  The  keeper,  by  a 
liberal  supply  of  corn,  can  bring  them  forward  for  the  table 
better  than  by  shutting  them  up  to  fat ;  and  before  Christmas 
the  parents  should  be  alone  again  in  their  domain.  They  will 
continue  to  increase  in  size  and  beauty  for  some  years,  and  should 
have  been  pinioned  at  the  first  or  second  joint  of  the  wing, 
(reckoning  from  the  tip,)  according  to  the  scope  they  are  to 
be  allowed,  in  the  manner  described  for  the  Swan :  the  young 


THE    WILD     GOOSE.  403 

that  are  to  be  eaten  had  better  remain  unmutilated.  I  be- 
lieve that  old  birds,  killed  in  the  autumn,  after  they  have 
recovered  from  moulting,  and  before  they  have  begun  to  think 
about  the  breeding-time,  would  make  excellent  meat,  if  cut 
into  small  portions,  stewed  slowly  five  or  six  hours  with 
savoury  condiments,  and  made  into  pies  the  next  day.  "  'Tis 
the  soup  that  makes  the  soldier,"  say  the  French.  By  roast- 
ing or  broiling  similar  "joints,"  we  lose  the  large  quantity  of 
nutriment  contained  in  the  bones  and  cartilages,  besides 
having  to  swallow  tough  what  we  might  easily  make  tender. 
The  young  (as  well  as  the  old)  are,  in  America,  salted  and 
boiled;  they  would  probably  please  most  English  palates 
better  if  cooked  and  served  Swan-fashion.  A  Committee  of 
Taste  having  assembled  on  January  22,  1850,  to  investigate 
the  edible  merits  of  a  well-conditioned  Canada  Goose,  pro- 
nounced them  to  be  of  a  high  order,  rivalling  those  of  Swan, 
which  must  be  taken  as  the  standard  of  excellence,  if  we  at  all 
defer  to  the  opinion  of  the  Churchman  entertained  by  Chau- 
cer's Franklin : 

"Now  certainly  he  was  a  fayre  prelat: 
He  was  not  pale  as  a  forpined  gost ; 
A  fat  Swan  loved  he  best  of  any  rost." 

Audubon's  description  of  their  manners  is  most  vivid,  and, 
as  far  as  I  have  observed,  quite  accurate,  and  not  at  all  ex- 
aggerated. The  young  male  has  a  frequent  disposition  to 
neglect  his  own  mate,  and  give  himself  up  to  unlicensed  com- 
panionship. We  had  one  that  deserted  his  partner,  to  her 
evident  grief,  and  made  most  furious  love  to  one  of  a  flock  of 
Tame  Geese,  separating  her  from  the  rest,  not  permitting  any 
other  water-bird  to  swim  near  her,  stretching  out  his  neck 
stiffly  on  a  level  with  the  water,  opening  his  red-lined  throat 
to  its  utmost  extent,  hissing,  grunting,  sighing,  trumpeting, 
winking  his  bright  black  eyes,  tossing  his  head  madly,  and 
all  kinds  of  folly.  We  did  not  choose  to  permit  such  conduct ; 


404  THE     WILD     GOOSE. 

but  as  often  as  we  killed  and  roasted  the  object  of  his  affec- 
tions, he  immediately  selected  another  leman,  invariably  the 
ugliest  of  the  surviving  females.  One  short,  squat,  rough- 
feathered,  ill- marked  Goose,  with  a  thick  bill  and  a  great 
gray  top-knot,  was  his  especial  favourite.  When  the  Michael- 
mas murders  had  extirpated  the  whole  race  he  so  admired,  he 
returned  reluctantly  and  coldly  to  his  former  love.  The  best 
remedy  in  such  a  case  is  to  divorce  them  at  once,  and  ex- 
change one  out  of  the  pair  for  another  bird. 


405 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

THE     DOMESTIC    GOOSE. 

'Tis  the  opinion  of  some  that  our  Common  Goose  is  a  mon- 
grel, as  the  Dunghill  Fowl,  made  up  of  several  varieties  as  the 
Gray-leg,  White-fronted,  Bean,  and  Pink-footed  Goose,  to 
each  of  which  it  occasionally  shows  more  or  less  affinity.  As 
to  the  practical  qualities  of  this  Fowl,  we  may  say,  on  the  best 
testimony,  they  are  very  considerable.  Mr.  Taggart,  in  a  re- 
cent letter  to  me,  says,  "  Of  all  Poultry,  Geese  can  be  raised 
with  the  greatest  ease,  in  the  shortest  time,  and' at  the  least 
expense,  provided  you  live  in  the  country,  or  in  a-village  where 
grass  grows  in  the  streets  and  alleys.  I  have  only 'reared  them 
once,  but  I  am  certain  Goslings  can  be  brought  up  on  grass 
alone  ;  though,  of  course,  they  grow  much  faster,  if  better  fed. 
I  fed  mine  well,  on  Indian-meal  and  milk,  and  sometimes  on 
corn — this,  in  addition  to  good  pasture — and  see  the  result — 
they  are  of  common  blood,  and  not  remarkable  for  size.  At 
33  days  old,  one  weighed  5£  Ibs. ;  at  47  days,  6  Ibs.  15  oz. ; 
54  days,  8  Ibs.  3  oz. ;  64  days,  8  Ibs.  14  oz. ;  at  93  days,  11  i 
Ibs.,  when  I  killed  him.  For  Eggs,  Geese  are  no  ' great 

shakes/  but,  to  use  a  Crockettism,  '  they're on  a  grow/  " 

On  this  subject  Mr.  Dixon  says  : — 

We  apply  the  term,  "  Domestic"  to  the  Goose,  using  only 
"  Tame"  for  the  Duck,  to  signify  a  much  closer  intimacy  with 
and  submission  to  the  control  of  Man ;  and,  as  a  further  contrast, 
the  domestication  of  the  common  Goose,  like  that  of  the  Fowl, 


406  THE    DOMESTIC     GOOSE. 

hides  itself,  as  we  pursue  it,  in  the  remotest  depths  and 
obscurest  mists  of  ancient  history.  We  have  already  hinted, 
that  by  the  Hebrews,  as  by  many  modern  naturalists,  it  would 
probably  be  classed  generically  with  the  Swan,  and  so  be  in- 
cluded in  their  list  of  unclean  birds.  Among  the  Greeks  and 
Romans,  it  seems  to  have  been  the  only  really  domesticated 
Water  Fowl ;  and  appears  to  have  held  exactly  the  same  place 
in  their  esteem,  that  it  still  retains,  after  the  lapse  of  two  or 
three  thousand  years,  in  our  farm-yards,  and  on  our  commons. 
Indeed,  a  modern  writer  may  escape  a  great  part  of  the  trouble 
of  composing  the  natural  history  of  the  Domestic  Goose,  if  he 
will  only  collect  the  materials  that  are  scattered  among 
ancient  authors.  A  very  early  notice  of  them  occurs  in  Ho- 
mer. Penelope,  relating  her  dream,  says, 

"  A  team  of  twenty  geese  (a  snow-white  train  !) 
Fed  near  the  limpid  lake  with  golden  grain, 
Amuse  my  pensive  hours." 

Pope's  version  is  both  flat  and  inaccurate.  The  "  snow- 
white  train/'  (I  would  bet  Mr.  Pope  a  dish  of  tey — as  he 
rhymes  it — that  Penelope's  Geese  were  not  snow-white,  what- 
ever the  Ganders  might  be,)  the  "  limpid  lake,"  the  "  pensive 
hours,"  are  not  Homeric,  but  Popeiau.  The  literal  translation 
of  the  Greek  is,  "  I  have  twenty  Geese  at  home,  that  eat  wheat 
out  of  water,  and  I  am  delighted  to  look  at  them."  We  omit 
tne  rest  of  her  vision,  as  little  to  our  purpose;  but  her  mode 
of  fatting  them,  and  her  complacent  chuckle  at  seeing  them 
thrive,  could  not  be  surpassed  by  the  most  enthusiastic  mem- 
bers of  the  Royal  Agricultural  Society.  If  she  entertained 
her  numerous  suitors  with  fat  roast  Goose,  it  may  partly  ex- 
plain why  they  stuck  to  her  in  so  troublesome  and  pertinacious 
a  manner. 

The  alarm  given  at  the  approach  of  the  army  of  the  Gauls, 
by  the  Geese  kept  in  the  capitol  of  Rome,  occurred  so  long 


THE    DOMESTIC     GOOSE.  407 

hack  as  A.  u.  c.  865,  or  388  years  before  Christ.     The  passage 
is  worth  extracting : 

"  Thus  they  were  employed  at  Veii,  whilst,  in  the  mean 
time,  the  citadel  and  capitol  at  Rome  were  in  the  utmost 
danger.  The  Gauls  either  perceived  the  track  of  a  human 
foot,  where  the  messenger  from  Veii  had  passed,  or,  from 
their  own  observation,  had  remarked  the  easy  ascent  at  the 
rock  of  Carmentis  :  on  a  moonlight  night,  therefore,  having 
first  sent  forward  a  person  unarmed,  to  make  trial  of  the  way, 
handing  their  arms  to  those  before  them,  when  any  difficulty 
occurred,  supporting  and  supported  in  turns,  and  drawing  each 
other  up,  according  as  the  ground  required,  they  climbed  to  the 
summit  in  such  silence,  that  they  not  only  escaped  the  notice 
of  the  guards,  but  did  not  even 'alarm  the  dogs,  animals  par- 
ticularly watchful  with  regard  to  any  noise  at  night.  They 
were  not  unperceived,  however,  by  some  Geese,  which,  being 
sacred  to  Juno,  the  people  had  spared,  even  in  the  present 
great  scarcity  of  food ;  a  circumstance  to  which  they  owed 
their  preservation  ;  for  by  the  cackling  of  these  creatures,  and 
the  clapping  of  their  wings,  Marcus  Manlius  was  roused  from 
sleep, — a  man  of  distinguished  character  in  war,  who  had  been 
consul  the  third  year  before ;  and  snatching  up  his  arms,  and 
at  the  same  time  calling  to  the  rest  to  do  the  same,  he  hastened 
to  the  spot,  where,  while  some  ran  about  in  confusion,  he,  by 
a  stroke  with  the  boss  of  his  shield,  tumbled  down  a  Gaul  who 
had  already  got  footing  on  the  summit ;  and  this  man's  weight, 
as  he  fell,  throwing  down  those  who  were  next,  he  slew  several 
others,  who,  in  their  consternation,  threw  away  their  arms  and 
caught  hold  of  the  rocks,  to  which  they  clung.  By  this  time 
many  of  the  garrison  had  assembled  at  the  place,  who,  by 
throwing  javelins  and  stones,  beat  down  the  enemy,  so  that  the 
whole  band,  unable  to  keep  either  their  hold  or  footing,  were 
hurled  down  the  precipice  in  promiscuous  ruin." — Livy,  lib. 
v.  cap.  47 — Baker's  Translation. 


408  THE    DOMESTIC    GOOSE. 

Lucretius,  referring  to  this  event  (lib.  iv.  686)  attributes  the 
vigilance  of  the  Geese  to  their  fine  sense  of  smell : — "  The 
White  Goose,  the  preserver  of  the  citadel  of  the  descendants 
of  Romulus,  perceives  at  a  great  distance  the  odour  of  the  hu- 
man race." 

Virgil,  alluding  to  the  same  occurrence,  (JEn.  viii.  655,) 
ascribes  the  preservation  of  the  capitol  to  an  "  Argenteus 
Anser"  (a  Silver  Goose).  Both  these  poets,  therefore,  inform 
us  that  the  Domestic  Goose  of  their  day  differed  as  much  from 
the  Gray-leg  or  the  White-fronted,  as  it  does  at  present,  a  cir- 
cumstance which  the  reader  is  requested  to  bear  in  mind. 

Pliny,  about  four  hundred  years  later,  remarks,  (lib.  x.  26,) 
"  The  Goose  is  carefully  watchful ;  witness  the  defence  of  the 
capitol,  when  the  silence  of  the  dogs  would  have  betrayed 

every  thing It  is  possible,  also,  that  they  may  have  some 

discernment  of  wisdom.  Thus,  one  is  said  to  have  stuck  per- 
petually to  the  Philosopher  Lacydis,  never  leaving  him,  either 
in  public,  in  the  baths,  by  night,  or  by  day."  And  again,  at 
xxvii. — "  Our  folks  are  wiser,  who  are  aware  of  the  goodness 
of  their  liver.  In  those  that  are  crammed  it  increases  to  a 
great  size ;  when  taken  out,  it  is  laid  to  swell  in  milk  mixed 
with  honey.  And  it  is  not  without  cause  that  it  is  a  matter 
of  debate  who  was  the  first  to  discover  such  a  dainty,  whether 
Scipio  Metellus,  of  consular  dignity,  or  M.  Seius,  a  Koman 
knight  at  the  same  epoch.  But  (what  is  certain)  Messalinus 
Cotta,  the  son  of  Messala,  the  orator,  discovered  the  method 
of  cooking  the  web  of  their  feet,  and  fricasseeing  them  in  small 
dishes  along  with  Cocks'  combs.  I  am  ready  heartily  to 
attribute  the  merit  to  the  kitchen  of  either.  It  is  wonderful 
that  this  bird  should  travel  on  foot  from  the  Morini  (in  the 
north  of  France)  to  Rome.  Those  which  are  tired  are  carried 
to  the  front;  so  that  the  rest  push  them  on  by  a  natural 
crowding In  some  places  they  are  plucked  twice  a  year/' 


THE    DOMESTIC    GOOSE.  409 

A  great  deal  of  this  is  the  same  as  has  happened  with  us,  with 
a  slight  change  of  names  and  places. 

It  is  very  natural  to  inquire  whence  so  remarkable  and 
valuable  a  bird  was  originally  obtained ;  but  the  conclusion 
generally  arrived  at,  appears  to  me?  to  be  inconsistent,  not 
merely  with  truth,  but  even  with  probability — namely,  that  it 
results  from  the  crossing  and  intermixture  of  several  wild  spe- 
cies. None  of  these  ancient  accounts  indicate  any  such  fact ; 
but,  on  the  contrary,  declare  that  the  Domestic  Goose  was  in 
the  earliest  ages  (dating  with  respect  to  Man)  exactly  what  it 
is  now.  The  very  same  arguments  that  are  used  to  show  that 
the  Domesticated  Goose  is  a  combination  of  the  Gray-legged, 
White-fronted,  and  Bean  Geese,  would  equally  prove  that  the 
Anglo-Saxon  race  of  Men  is  derived  from  a  mixture  of  the 
Red  Indian,  the  Yellow  Chinese,  and  the  Tawny  Moor.  I 
cannot,  therefore,  help  suspecting  very  strongly  that  we  shall 
err  in  referring  the  parentage  of  the  Common  Goose  to  any 
existing  species.  Mr.  Yarrell  hesitatingly  says,  that  t(  the 
Gray-legged  Goose  is  considered  to  be  the  origin  from  which 
our  valuable  domesticated  race  is  derived ;"  and  instances  the 
union  of  a  pinioned  wild  Gray-legged  Gander  with  a  Domestic 
Goose  that  had  been  assigned  as  his  mate.*  But  those  who 
have  kept  many  diiferent  species  together,  well  know  what  un- 
accountable attachments  they  are  frequently  forming,  and  that 
they  are  quite  as  likely  to  pair,  and  rear  young,  with  individuals 
of  a  race  apparently  the  most  alien  to  themselves  as  with  their 
own  stock.  Indeed,  among  Geese,  it  will  be  difficult  to  de- 

*  These  birds  have  produced  young,  which,  by  breeding  in-and-in, 
have  again  produced  young  resembling  themselves  ;  thus  giving  sup- 
port to  Mr.  Yarrell's  conjecture.  I  record  the  fact.  Many  readers 
may  think  it  opposed  to  the  views  here  expressed :  it  is  the  only  one 
I  have  ever  met  with  at  all  tending  to  contradict  them. 

S5 


410  THE     DOMESTIC     GOOSE. 

fine  the  limits  of  species,  at  least  if  the  fertility  or  infertility 
of  hybrids  be  the  test. 

But  the  supposition  that  all  our  domesticated  creatures  must 
necessarily  have  an  existing  wild  original,  is  a  mere  assumption ; 
and  it  has  misled,  and  is  likely  to  mislead,  investigators  as  far 
from  the  truth  as  did  the  old  notion  about  fossil  organic  re- 
mains, that  they  were  Lithoschemata,  as  Aldrovandus  has  it, 
sketches  in  stone,  abortive  efforts  of  Nature,  imperfect  em- 
bryos, instead  of  fragmentary  ruins  of  a  former  state  of  things. 
Some  naturalists  seem  already  to  have  had  misgivings  that 
such  a  theory  respecting  domestic  animals  is  not  tenable.  Ac- 
cording to  the  Rev.  L.  Jenyns, — 

"  The  Domestic  Goose  is  usually  considered  as  having  been 
derived  from  the  Gray-legged  Goose,  but  such  a  circumstance 
is  rendered  highly  improbable  from  the  well-known  fact  that 
the  Common  Gander,  after  attaining  a  certain  age,  is  inva- 
riably (?)  white.  Montague,  also,  observes  that  a  specimen  of 
the  Anser  fcrus,  which  was  shot  in  the  wing  by  a  farmer  in 
Wiltshire,  and  kept  alive  many  years,  would  never  associate 
with  the  tame  Geese.  In  fact  the  origin  of  this  last  is  un- 
known."— Jenyntfs  Manual  of  Vertebrate  Animals,  p.  222, 

The  origin  of  the  Domestic  Goose  is  indeed  unknown,  if  we  look 
to  Man,  or  his  influence,  to  have  originated  so  valuable  and 
peculiar  a  species ;  but  not  unknown,  if  we  believe  it  to  have 
been  created  by  the  same  Almighty  Power  who  animated 
the  Mammoth,  the  Plesiosaurus,  the  Dinornis,  and  the  Dodo. 
For  let  us  grant  that  the  Gray-legged  Goose  is  the  most  pro- 
bable existing  parent  of  the  domestic  sort.  Now,  even  that  is 
becoming  a  rare  bird ;  and  the  more  scarce  a  creature  is  in  a 
wild  state,  the  scarcer  it  is  likely  still  to  become.  Suppose  the 
Gray-legged  Goose  extinct;  by  no  means  an  impossibility. 
Then  those  who  must  have  a  wild  original  from  which  to  de- 
rive all  our  domestic  animals  would  be  compelled  to  fall  back 
on  some  other  species  still  less  probable.  It  is  surely  a  simpler 


THE     DOMESTIC    GOOSE.  411 

theory  to  suppose  that  creatures  that  were  cotemporary  with 
the  Mammoth,  have,  like  it,  disappeared  from  the  earth  in 
their  wild  state,  but  have  survived  as  dependents  on  Man,  than 
to  engage  in  attempts  at  reconciling  incongruities  and  dis- 
crepancies, which,  after  all,  cannot  satisfy  the  mind,  but  leave 
it  in  as  doubtful  a  state  as  ever. 

Still  less  is  the  White-fronted  the  ancestor  of  the  Domestic 
Goose.  Entirely  white  specimens  of  the  Albifrons  are  indeed 
occasionally  hatched  in  confinement,  and  the  Common  Goose 
may  now  and  then  exhibit  traces  of  an  admixture  or  dash  of 
blood  with  it,  as  it  certainly  does,  occasionally,  of  a  cross  with 
the  China  Goose  (Oycno'ides) ;  but  these  are  mere  impurities, 
which  wear  out,  and  the  race  returns  to  the  well-known  do- 
mestic type.  And  it  will  be  allowed  by  most  persons  who 
have  possessed  a  variety  of  these  birds,  and  who  have  watched 
and  tended  them  day  by  day,  that  the  Domestic  Goose  is  suffi- 
ciently separated  from  the  Gray-legged  by  the  colour  of  its 
feet  and  legs  j  from  the  White-fronted  by  the  extreme  dif- 
ference of  its  voice,  manner,  time  of  incubation,  colour  of  the 
eyes,  greater  thickness  of  neck,  convexity  of  profile,  and  many 
other  little  particulars  that  are  more  easily  perceived  than 
described. 

It  might  be  urged,  as  a  further  essential  difference,  that  the 
Domestic  Goose  is  polygamous,  whereas  all  Wild  Geese  that 
we  are  acquainted  with  are  monogamous.  It  is  true  that  Wild 
Geese,  in  captivity,  will  couple  with  the  females  of  other  species ; 
but  that  takes  place  by  their  utterly  neglecting  their  own  mate 
for  the  time,  not  by  entertaining  two  or  more  mistresses  at 
once.  It  will  be  replied,  that  habits  of  polygamy  are  the 
effects  of  domestication ;  but  what  proof  have  we  of  such  an 
assertion?  Domestication  has  not  yet  induced  the  Pigeon 
and  the  Guinea  Fowl  to  consort  with  more  than  one  partner; 
and  the  Swan,  called  Domestic  by  some  writers,  remains  obsti- 
nately and  even  fiercely  faithful  in  its  attachments. 


412  THE    DOMESTIC     GOOSE. 

The  Domestic  Gander  is  polygamous,  but  he  is  not  an  in- 
discriminate libertine :  he  will  rarely  couple  with  females  of 
any  other  species.  Hybrid  common  Geese  are  almost  always 
produced  by  the  union  of  a  Wild  Gander  with  a  Domestic 
Goose,  not  vice  versd. 

Of  the  Domestic  Goose  there  really  is  but  one  variety,  indi- 
viduals of  which  are  found  varying  from  entirely  white  plumage, 
through  different  degrees  of  patchedness  with  gray,  to  entirely 
gray  colouring,  except  on  the  abdomen.  The  Ganders  are 
generally,  not  invariably,  white.  -Such  are  sometimes  called 
Einbden  Geese,  from  a  town  of  Hanover,  famous  also  for 
groats.  Fine  white  Geese  may  doubtless  be  hatched  at 
Embden,  as  well  as  in  Middlesex,  and,  if  actually  imported, 
may  claim  the  name  of -their  native  place,  but  cannot  on  that 
account  be  allowed  to  form  themselves  into  a  separate  clan. 
High  feeding,  care,  and  moderate  warmth,  will  induce  a  habit 
of  prolificacy,  which  becomes  in  some  measure  hereditary. 
The  season  of  the  year  at  which  the  young  are  hatched  (and 
in  England  they  may  be  reared  at  any  season)  influences  their 
future  size  and  development.  After  allowing  for  these  causes 
of  diversity,  it  will  be  found  that  the  Domestic  Goose  consti- 
tutes only  one  species  or  permanent  variety. 

Mr.  Bagshaw,  of  Norwich,  annually  fats  several  thousand 
Geese  for  the  London  market.  He  has  sometimes  as  many 
as  two  thousand  Geese  at  once  on  his  extensive  premises. 
The  birds  are  collected  from  all  parts,  wherever,  in  short,  they 
can  be  most  advantageously  obtained.  Some  are  English,  more 
are  from  Holland,  but  the  greater  part  are  procured  from 
Prussia.  Having  been  obligingly  permitted  to  inspect  this 
vast  assemblage,  I  could  find  nothing  that  had  the  least  claim 
to  be  called  a  variety,  though  they  came  from  so  many  dif- 
ferent quarters.  The  nearest  approach  to  it  was  that  some 
had  bills  of  a  dull.black,  others  had  the  nail  of  the  bill  black, 
others  again  had  it  white,  but  there  was  nothing  either  in 


THE     DOMESTIC     GOOSE.  413 

form,  voice,  gait,  or  attitude,  to  afford  the  least  suspicion  that 
there  exists  any  sub-species  of  the  Domestic  Goose.  One  bird 
was  pointed  out  by  the  proprietor  as  differing  from  the  rest. 
He  was  a  half-bred  with  the  China  Goose. 

The  Toulouse  Goose,  which  has  been  so  much  extolled  and 
sold  at  such  high  prices,  is  only  the  common  domestic,  en- 
larged by  early  hatching,  very  liberal  feeding  during  youth, 
fine  climate,  and  perhaps  by  age.  I  am  in  possession  of 
Geese,  hatched  at  a  season  when  it  was  difficult  to  supply 
them  with  an  abundance  of  nourishing  green  food,  that  are  as 
much  under-sized  as  the  Toulouse  Goose  is  over-sized;  they 
are  all  Domestic  Geese,  nevertheless.  It  is  for  the  sake  of 
enlarging  the  growth  of  the  Goslings,  not  for  the  mere  purpose 
of  supporting  their  strength,  that  the  breeders  cram  them  night 
and  morning  with  flour-and-egg  pellets.  Grass  alone  would 
suffice  for  their  sustenance,  but  extra  nourishment  makes 
extra-sized  birds.  Toulouse  Geese  are  fine,  six  foot  high, 
grenadier  individuals  of  the  Domestic  Goose — that  is  all. 
Some  were  to  be  seen  not  far  from  the  Horse  Guards,  in 
proximity  to  their  human  representatives,  in  the  autumn 
of  1848. 

The  importance  of  feeding  all  growing  creatures  abundantly 
and  well,  cannot  be  too  often  forced  upon  the  attention  of  the 
breeder,  whether  of  fowls  or  quadrupeds.  A  pertinent  illus- 
tration of  its  effects,  even  upon  Man,  is  given  by  the  Rev.  John 
Williams,  in  his  "Missionary  Enterprises,"  p.  512.  "The 
men  are  strong  and  tall,  being  frequently  upwards  of  six  feet 
high,  with  limbs  firm  and  muscular,  but  not  heavy  and  clumsy. 
This  is  especially  the  case  with  the  chiefs,  and  more  remark- 
ably so  with  those  of  Tongatabu  and  the  Friendly  Islands,  whose 
form  and  bearing  are  as  stately  as  their  movements  are  natural 
and  free.  The  women  are  inferior  to  the  men ;  but  yet  they 
often  present  the  most  elegant  models  of  the  human  figure. 

"  Captain  Cook  attempted  to  account  for  the  superior  size 

36* 


414  THE     DOMESTIC     GOOSE. 

of  the  chiefs,  by  supposing  that  they  were  a  distinct  race ;  but 
in  this  we  think  he  was  incorrect.  It  may,  perhaps,  be  at- 
tributed in  part  to  their  progenitors,  who  were  probably  raised 
to  the  chieftainship  on  account  of  their  physical  superiority, 
or  of  some  achievements  which  resulted  from  it;  partly  to 
their  mothers,  who  were  generally  selected  by  the  chiefs  for 
their  form  and  stature ;  and  partly  to  their  treatment  during 
the  years  of  childhood  and  youth.  As  soon  as  the  son  of  a 
chief  was  born,  two  or  three  of  the  finest  and  most  healthy 
women  were  selected  to  nurse  it;  and  while  performing  this 
office,  which  they  frequently  did  for  three  years,  they  were 
provided  with  abundance  of  the  best  food.  A  child  of  Tino- 
mana,  of  Rarotonga,  had  four  nurses,  and  he  was  a  little 
monster.  With  this  commencement,  their  subsequent  train- 
ing corresponded.  I  think  these  causes  sufficient  to  account 
for  the  superiority  of  the  chiefs,  many  of  whom  are  certainly 
splendid  specimens  of  human  nature/'  We  think  similar 
causes  sufficient  to  account  for  the  superior  size  of  the  Toulouse 
Geese,  which  really  do  look  like  common  Geese  as  they  would 
appear  if  seen  through  the  long-focused  magnifying  glass  of  a 
raree-show. 

The  following  will  be  pronounced  a  mere  case  of  malforma- 
tion, not  the  springing  up  of  a  new  variety 

"  I  have  noticed  that  in  a  flock  of  Geese  here,  from  which 
many  Goslings  are  reared  every  season,  there  is  always  one 
bird,  and  sometimes  two,  with  the  two  farthest  joints  of  one 
wing  growing  as  if  they  had  been  twisted  round,  out  of  their 
proper  position.  None  of  the  old  Geese  have  this  peculiarity, 
nor,  as  far  as  I  can  ascertain,  does  it  arise  either  from  ill-treat- 
ment or  the  forcing  themselves  through  narrow  places.  It 
seems  rather  to  be  a  natural  lusus  of  the  wing  joint,  and  one 
would  think  must  effectually  prevent  their  flying." — H.  H. 

The  value  and  usefulness  of  Geese  is  scarcely  calculable. 
We  omit  what  is  owing  to  them,  as  having  furnished  the  most 


THE     DOMESTIC     GOOSE.  415 

powerful  instrument  wielded  by  the  hand  of  Man.  But  in  a 
mere  material  point  of  view,  and  reckoning  on  the  very  smallest 
scale,  we  will  suppose  that  a  village  green  supports  only  fifty 
brood  Geese.  The  owners  of  these  would  be  dissatisfied  if 
they  got  but  ten  young  ones  from  each  in  the  year,  besides 
Eggs;  this  gives  five  hundred  Geese  per  annum,  without 
taking  the  chance  of  a  second  brood.  Multiply  five  hundred 
by  the  number  of  village  greens  in  the  kingdom,  and  we  still 
form  a  very  inadequate  estimate  of  the  importance  of  the  bird. 
And  all  this  with  scarcely  any  outlay.  The  little  trouble  they 
demand,  of  being  secured  at  night  and  let  out  in  the  morning, 
of  setting  the  Geese,  and  "  pegging"  the  Goslings,  is  a  source 
of  amusement  and  interest  to  thousands  of  aged  and  infirm 
persons,  in  whose  affections  their  Geese  stand  second  only  to 
their  children  and  relations.  What  a  pity  it  is  that  such 
cheerful  commons  should  be  ever  converted  into  barren 
thickets  and  damp  Pheasant  covers,  to  afford  a  school  for 
young  sportsmen  and  rural  policemen  to  practise  their  several 
arts  in. 

The  only  damage  they  do,  lies  in  the  quantity  of  food  they 
consume;  the  only  care  they  require,  is  to  be  saved  from 
thieves  and  starvation.  All  the  fears  and  anxieties  requisite 
to  educate  the  Turkey  and  prepare  it  for  making  a  proper  ap- 
pearance at  table,  are  with  them  unnecessary;  grass  by  day,  a 
dry  bed  at  night,  and  a  tolerably  attentive  mother,  being  all 
that  is  required.  Roast  Goose,  fatted,  of  course,  to  the  point 
of  repletion,  is  almost  the  only  luxury  that  is  not  thought  an 
extravagance  in  an  economical  farm-house;  for  there  are  the 
feathers,  to  swell  the  mistress's  accumulating  stock  of  beds ; 
there  is  the  dripping,  to  enrich  the  dumpling,  pudding,  or 
whatever  other  farinaceous  food  may  be  the  fashion  of  the 
country  for  the  servants  to  eat;  there  are  the  giblets,  to  go  to 
market  or  make  a  pie  for  a  special  occasion,  and  there  is  the 


416  THE     DOMESTIC     GOOSE. 

wholesome,  solid,  savoury  flesh  for  all  parties  in  their  due 
proportion. 

They  are  accused,  by  some,  of  rendering  the  spots  where 
they  feed  offensive  to  other  stock ;  but  the  secret  of  this  is 
very  simple.  A  Horse  bites  closer  than  an  Ox,  a  Sheep  goes 
nearer  to  the  ground  than  a  Horse,  but,  after  the  sharpest 
shaving  by  Sheep,  the  Goose  will  polish  up  the  turf,  and  grow 
fat  upon  the  remnants  of  others.  Consequently,  where  Geese 
are  kept  in  great  numbers  on  a  small  area,  little  will  be  left 
to  maintain  any  other  grass-eating  creature.  But  if  the  com- 
mons are  not  short,  it  will  not  be  found  that  other  grazing 
animals  object  to  feed  either  together  with,  or  immediately 
after  a  flock  of  Geese. 

Many  instances  of  the  longevity  of  the  Goose  are  on  record, 
and  it  is  needless  to  repeat  them.  I  have  myself  seen  one 
upwards  of  thirty  years  of  age,  followed  by  a  thriving  family; 
but  they  are  capable  of  reaching  double  and  treble  that  extent 
of  life.  Indeed,  the  duration  of  the  existence  of  the  Goose 
seems  to  be  indefinitely  prolonged,  and  not  terminable  by  the 
usual  causes  of  decay  and  old  age,  (like  Pliny's  Eagle,  which 
would  live  for  ever,  did  not  the  upper  mandible  become  so 
excessively  curved  as  to  prevent  eating,  and  cause  death  from 
starvation ;)  and  reminding  us  of  the  accounts,  apparently  not 
fabulous,  which  we  hear  in  these  modern  times,  respecting  the 
Pelican  and  the  cartilaginous  fishes.  One  thing  is  certain, 
that  housewives  do  not  consider  Geese  to  be  worth  much  for 
breeding  purposes,  till  they  are  four  or  five  years  old.  They 
will  lay  and  produce  some  few  young  ones  in  the  course  of 
their  second  summer;  but  older  birds  fetch  much  higher 
prices  as  stock.  Three  or  four  Geese  may  be  allotted  to  one 
Gander ;  the  male  bird  is  known  by  being,  generally,  white,  and 
also  by  his  bold  and  patronizing  carriage.  He  is  an  attentive 
sentinel  while  his  dames  are  incubating,  but  renders  them  no 
personal  assistance  by  taking  his  turn  upon  the  nest — an  error 


THE     DOMESTIC     GOOSE.  417 

which  seems  to  have  originated  with  Goldsmith.  When  the 
young  at  length  go  forth  to  graze,  he  accompanies  them  with 
the  greatest  parental  pride  and  assiduity. 

The  Goose  has  the  additional  merit  of  being  the  very  ear- 
liest of  our  Poultry : — 

"  On  Candlemas  day 
Good  housewife's  Geese  lay; 
On  Saint  Valentine 
Your  Geese  lay,  and  mine." 

In  three  months,  or  at  most  four,  from  leaving  the  Egg, 
the  birds  ought  to  be  fit  for  the  feather-bed,  the  spit,  and  the 
pie.  It  is  better,  either  to  eat  them  at  this  early  stage  as 
green  Geese,  or,  to  keep  them  another  six  months,  till  after 
they  have  moulted  and  renewed  their  feathers,  when  they  can 
be  fatted  till  they  grow  into  the  ponderous,  satisfactory  succu- 
lent joint  which  suits  a  healthy  Michaelmas  or  Christmas 
appetite.  It  will  be  found  unprofitable  to  kill  them  between 
these  two  epochs  of  their  life.  They  will  be  fatted  by  being 
shut  up  in  society,  in  a  clean,  quiet  out-house,  with  plenty  of 
dry  straw,  gravel,  and  fresh  water,  and  are  there  to  be  supplied 
for  a  certain  length  of  time,  continued  according  to  the  weight 
desired  to  be  laid  on,  with  all  the  barley  or  oats  they  can  eat. 
The  kind  of  grain  used  depends  upon  custom  or  convenience, 
some  advocating  barley,  others  oats;  a  mixture  might  perhaps 
be  the  most  effectual.  Barley-meal  and  water  is  recommended 
by  some  feeders;  but  full-grown  Geese  that  have  not  been 
habituated  to  the  mixture  when  young,  will  occasionally  refuse 
to  eat  it.  Cooked  potatoes,  in  small  quantities,  do  no  harm. 
A  first-rate  delicacy,  though  rather  expensive,  would  be  pro- 
duced by  following  Penelope's  system  of  feeding,  and  giving 
the  birds  steeped  wheat. 

The  Goose  is  not  only  very  early  in  its  laying,  but  also  very 
late.  It  often  anticipates  the  spring  in  November,  and  after- 


418  THE     DOMESTIC     GOOSE. 

wards,  when  spring  really  comes  in  March,  it  cannot  resist  its 
genial  influence.  The  autumnal  Eggs  afford  useful  employ- 
ment to  Turkeys  or  Hens  that  choose  to  sit  at  unseasonable 
times :  and  the  period  of  incubation,  thirty  days,  is  less  tedious 
than  that  required  for  the  Eggs  of  China  Geese  or  Musk 
Ducks.  A  dry,  airy  lean-to  or  shed,  and  the  gleanings  of  a 
kitchen-garden,  are  all  that  are  needful  to  rear  the  young. 
Their  great  enemy  will  be  the  cramp,  which  may  be  kept  off 
by  making  them  sleep  on  dry  straw,  and  turning  them  out 
with  their  mother  for  an  hour  or  two  every  mild  and  open  day. 
When  winter  Goslings  are  expected,  a  Michaelmas  planting 
(not  sowing)  of  lettuce  and  endive  should  be  made  ;  the  latter 
will  be  found  particularly  serviceable,  as  also  the  tender  parts 
of  turnip  tops.  A  living  turf  laid  down  in  the  out-house  and 
changed  occasionally,  will  be  relished.  A  little  boiled  rice, 
daily,  assists  their  growth,  with  corn,  of  course,  as  soon  as  they 
can  eat  it.  A  rushlight  burnt  in  a  Goose-house  during  the 
fifteen  or  sixteen  hours  of  darkness  in  winter,  has  been  suc- 
cessfully employed  to  induce  the  Goslings  to  eat.  And  when 
it  is  remembered  that  the  candle  costs  the  fraction  of  a  penny, 
while  an  early  green  Goose  is  worth  from  seven  shillings  to 
half  a  guinea,  it  will  be  seen  that  the  expense  is  not  thrown 
away.  Almost  all  breeders  of  Goslings  administer,  by  cram- 
ming, long  half-dried  pellets,  composed  of  raw  Egg  and  wheat 
flour ;  it  is  an  old  practice,  but  is  unnecessary,  except  during 
midwinter. 

We  give  Columella's  directions  for  rearing : — 
"  And  the  Gosling,  while  he  is  very  little,  is  shut  up  in  a 
pen  for  the  first  ten  ,  days,  and  fed  along  with  his  mother : 
afterwards,  when  the  fine  weather  permits,  he  is  led  forth  into 
the  meadows,  and  to  the  fish-ponds.  And  care  must  be  taken 
that  he  is  neither  stung  by  nettles,  nor  sent  fasting  to  the 
pasture,  but  has  his  appetite  satisfied  beforehand  with1  chopped 
endive  or  lettuce  leaves.  For  if  he  goes  to  pasture  still  weak 


THE     DOMESTIC     GOOSE.  419 

and  hungry,  he  tugs  at  the  shrubs  and  more  solid  herbs  so 
pertinaceously  as  to  break  his  neck/' — Columella,  lib.  viii. 
chap.  xiv.  The  Roman  school  of  poulterers  were  in  great  fear 
of  nettles  for  their  Goslings,  and  as  a  counter-irrative  remedy, 
it  was  proposed  to  place  nettle-roots  under  the  sitting  Geese; 
but  one  would  say  that  the  nettles,  not  the  Goslings,  had  the 
greatest  reason  for  alarm. 

Geese  are  slaughtered  by  being  bled  from  the  internal  parts 
of  the  throat, — a  slow  and  cruel  method.  They,  as  well  as 
Ducks,  should  be  let  out  to  the  pond  a  few  hours  before  exe- 
cution, where  they  will  purify  and  arrange  their  feathers  as 
neatly  as  if  they  were  going  to  their  wedding  instead  of  to 
their  death.  Adult  birds  are  almost  exempt  from  disease. 
When  three-quarters  grown,  they  occasionally,  though  not 
often,  "  go  light,"  as  the  country  people  call  it,  and  waste  and 
die  like  a  person  in  a  consumption.  This  usually  happens 
only  with  birds  that  are  shut  up  too  closely  to  fat.  The 
remedy  is  liberty  and  grass. 

I  have  seen  the  shell  of  a  Goose's  Egg  that  had  contained 
three  yolks. 

The  flight  of  the  Domestic  Goose  is  quite  powerful  enough, 
especially  in  young  birds,  to  allow  them  to  escape  that  way, 
were  they  so  inclined.  In  the  autumn,  whole  broods  may  be 
seen  by  early  risers,  taking  their  morning  flight,  and  circling 
in  the  air  for  matutinal  exercise,  just  like  Pigeons  when  first 
let  out  of  their  locker. 


420 


CHAPTER  XXVHI. 

THE     CHINA    GOOSE. 

Or  this  mnf  ty,  three  beautiful  specimens  were  exhibited  at 
the  late  Agricultural  Show,  held  in  the  county  of  Philadelphia. 
They  were  owned  by  a  gentleman,  whose  name  I  forget,  living 
in  the  vicinity  of  Tacony,  near  this  city.  In  introducing  this 
variety  to  the  reader,  Mr.  Dixon  says  : — 

There  is  a  venerable  joke  about  a  Spanish  Don,  who  knocked 
at  a  cottage  door  to  ask  a  night's  lodging.  "  Who's  there  ? 
What  do  you  want  ?"  said  the  inmates.  "  Don  Juan  Jose 
Pedro  Antonio  Alonzo  Carlos  Geronimo,  &c.,  &c.,  &c.,  wants  to 
sleep  here  to-night."  "Get  along  with  you/'  was  the  reply: 
"  how  should  we  find  room  here  for  so  many  fellows  ?"  The 
China  Goose  is  in  the  same  position  as  the  Spanish  Don.  It 
has  names  enough  to  fill  a  menagerie.  China  Goose,  Knob 
Goose,  Hong-Kong-Goose,  Asiatic  Goose,  Swan  Goose,  Chinese 
Swan,  (Cygnus  Sinensis,  CUVIER,)  Guinea  Goose,  Spanish 
Goose,  Polish  Goose,  Anas  and  Anser  cygnoides,  Muscovy 
Goose,  and  probably  more  besides. 

Confusion,  therefore,  and  perplexity,  are  the  certain  lot 
of  whosoever  attempts  to  trace  this  bird  in  our  books  of  na- 
tural history.  Its  place  of  birth  has  excluded  it  from  all  mo- 
nographs or  limited  ornithologies.  In  very  few  systematic 
works  is  it  mentioned  at  all,  which  is  remarkable  of  a  bird  so 
strikjrg  in  its  appearance,  which  there  is  every  reason  to  be- 


THE     CHINA     GOOSE.  421 

lievc  must  have  been  domesticated  for  a  long  period.  The  un- 
certainty that  has  existed  as  to  its  correct  name,  and  really  na- 
tive country,  may  be  one  cause  of  this.  Like  the  Jews  or  the 
Gipsies,  it  has  not  been  allowed  to  claim  a  place  among  the 
natives  of  any  one  region ;  and,  like  many  others  furnished 
with  a  variety  of  aliases,  it  ends  by  being  altogether  excluded 
from  society. 

The  old  writers  call  it  the  Guinea  Goose,  for  the  excellent 
reason,  as  Willughby  hints,  that  in  his  time  it  was  the  fashion 
to  apply  the  epithet  "  Guinea"  to  every  thing  of  foreign  and 
uncertain  origin.*  Thus,  what  we  at  this  day  erroneously  call 
the  Muscovy  Duck,  was  then  called  the  Guinea  Duck.  Not 
long  back  it  was  common  with  us  to  refer  every  strange  or  new 
object  to  a  French  source.  Spanish  Goose  is  another  title, 
probably  as  appropriate  as  Guinea  Goose.  Bewick  has  given 
an  admirable  wood-cut  of  this  bird,  but  he  has  evidently  se- 
lected the  Gander,  which  is  taller  and  more  erect  than  the  fe- 
male, though  to  both  may  be  applied  Willughby's  description, 
"a  stately  bird,  walking  with  its  head  and  neck,  decently 
erected."  Bewick  calls  it  the  Swan  Goose.  The  tubercle  at 
the  base  of  the  bill,  the  unusual  length  of  neck,  and  its  grace- 
ful carriage  in  the  water,  give  it  some  claim  to  relationship 
with  the  aristocracy  of  lake  and  river.  Cuvier  (Griffiths'  edi- 
tion) goes  further,  calls  it  at  once  Cygnus  Sinensis,  Chinese 
Swan,  and  says  that  this  and  the  Canada  Goose  cannot  be 
separated  from  the  true  Swans.  A  Goose,  however,  it  de- 
cidedly is,  as  is  clear  from  its  terrestrial  habits,  its  powerful 


*  The  epithet  "Indian"  has  also  answered  the  same  accommo- 
dating purpose.  "  The  lesser  kind  I  conjecture  to  be  the  right 
Mambrine  or  Syrian  Goat,  although  some  of  the  late  writers  call  it  an 
Indian  Goat ;  the  reason  is,  because  (as  hath  beene  said)  they  cal  al 
strange  beasts  by  the  names  of  Indians,  if  they  find  them  not  in  their 
owne  countrey." — TopsdVs  History  of  Foure-footed  Beasts,  p.  236. 


422  THE     CHINA     GOOSE. 

bill,  its  thorny  tongue,  and  its  diet  of  grass.  And  therefore 
we  have  determined  to  call  it  the  China  Goose,  concluding 
that  Cuvier  is  right  about  its  home,*  and  other  authors  about 
its  goosehood. 

There  is  something  in  the  aspect  of  this  creature,  the  dark- 
brown  stripe  down  its  neck,  its  small  bright  eye,  its  harsh 
voice,  its  ceremonious  strut,  and  its  affectation  of  seldom  being 
in  a  hurry,  which  seems  to  say  that  it  came  from  China.  It 
would  perfectly  harmonize  in  a  picture  of  Chinese  still  life ;  or 
in  a  Chinese  garden,  with  artificially  arranged  rocks,  dwarf 
trees,  crooked  trellises,  and  zigzag  pathways ;  or,  in  a  more 
extended  landscape,  it  would  group  well  on  a  broad  river, 
beside  a  boat  filled  with  shaven  fishermen,  with  their  trained 
cormorants  and  pig-tailed  children.  If  it  does  come  from 
China,  it  has  no  doubt  been  domesticated  for  many  hundred 
years,  perhaps  as  long  as  the  Peacock  or  common  Fowl.  They 
may  be  made  to  lay  a  large  number  of  Eggs  by  an  increased 
supply  of  nourishing  food.  This  is  very  different  from  the 
disposition  to  "lay  everlastingly,"  as  seen  in  the  Guinea 
Fowl,  and  some  varieties  of  the  domestic  Hen — the  Black 
Spanish  for  instance ;  because  the  China  Goose  does  in  the 
end  feel  a  strong  desire  to  incubate  as  soon  as  her  protracted 
laying  is  done,  whereas  entire  exemption  from  the  hatching 
fever  is  the  great  merit  of  the  "  everlasting  layers."  If 
liberally  furnished  with  oats,  boiled  rice,  &c.,  the  China  Goose 
will  in  the  spring  lay  from  twenty  to  thirty  Eggs  before  she 
begins  to  sit,  and  again  in  the  autumn,  after  her  moult,  from 
ten  to  fifteen  more.  I  have  never  observed  any  disposition  to 
sit  after  the  autumnal  laying.  It  is  not,  as  in  the  Guinea 
Fowl,  a  spontaneous  flow  of  Eggs,  for  which  the  ordinary  diet 


*  In  journeying  overland,  (in  books  of  Travels,)  we  meet  with  the 
Swan  Goose  more  frequently  as  we  approach  Tartary  and  China. 


THE    CHINA    GOOSE.  423 

of  the  creature  is  sufficient,  but  is  as  much  dependent  on  feed- 
ing as  the  fatness  to  which  a  bullock  is  brought.  A  Goose 
that  I  supplied  with  as  much  oats  as  she  could  eat,  besides 
grass,  potatoes,  and  cabbages,  laid  Eggs  larger  than  ordinary; 
one  of  them  (with  a  double  yolk)  weighed  seven  and  a  half 
ounces,  nearly  half  a  pound.  I  need  hardly  say  that  double- 
yolked  Eggs  are  very  rare,  except  among  birds  that  are  .highly 
fed. 

Another  peculiarity  is  their  deficient  power  of  flight,  com- 
pared with  the  rest  of  their  congeners,  owing  to  the  larger 
proportionate  size  of  their  bodies.*  The  common  Domestic 
Goose  flies  much  more  strongly  than  its  brother  from  China. 
Indeed,  of  all  Geese  this  is  the  worst  flyer.  There  is  no  oc- 
casion to  pinion  them.  While  the  Canada  Goose  thinks  little 
of  a  journey  from  the  North  Pole  or  thereabouts  to  Great 
Britain,  while  the  Egyptian  Goose  pays  us  occasional  visits 
from  Africa,  while  the  merry  little  Laughing  Goose,  if  tamed, 


*  "In  opposition  to  this  statement,  permit  me  to  say,  that  the 
China  Geese,  if  true  bred,  fly  very  well,  at  a  considerable  height  and 
long  distances.  As  a  proof  that  they  fly,  many  years  since,  a  la- 
bourer coming  to  his  work  at  Capesthorne,  near  Macclesfield — Mr. 
Davenport's — found  an  Egg  on  the  grass  in  the  park  evidently  drop- 
ped by  some  bird  that  had  flown  over,  as  no  such  Geese  were  known 
there.  The  Egg  was  set,  and  produced  a  Chinese  Goose,  which  lived 
more  than  twenty  years,  having  died  about  three  years  since;  ap- 
parently of  old  age.  I  have  often  seen  the  Goose,  and  sent  a  China 
Gander  to  solace  her  declining  years,  but  she  would  not  allow  him  to 
come  near  her.  Last  year,  I  used  often  to  admire  the  fine  sweeping 
flights  of  five  of  this  breed  near  my  house.  I  am  quite  sure  as  to 
many  of  this  breed  flying  quite  well  and  strong." — W.  D.  F.  I  can 
only  account  for  this  by  the  fact  that  there  are  more  varieties  of  the 
China  Goose  than  is  commonly  suspected,  as  nothing  like  the  power 
of  flight  here  described,  the  truth  of  which  cannot  be  doubted,  has 
ever  fallen  under  my  own  observation,  at  home  or  elsewhere. 


424  THE     CHINA    GOOSE. 

and  allowed  the  use  of  its  wings,  is  almost  as  much  at  ease  in 
the  air  as  a  Pigeon,  the  Chinese  Goose  can  hardly  manage  to 
flutter  across  a  lawn,  to  get  out  of  the  way  of  a  frisky  spaniel. 

"Said  the  Tame  Goose  to  the  Wild  one,  'On  such  a  day  I 
shall  fly  away."  Said  the  Wild  Goose  to  the  Tame  one,  <  I 
shall  fly  away  on  such  a  day,  if  it  be  the  will  of  Allah/  At 
the  appointed  time  the  Wild  Goose  performed  her  yearly  mi* 
gration ;  the  Tame  Goose  cannot  fly  to  this  day."  If  China, 
instead  of  Egypt,  had  produced  the  above  fable,  we  should  be- 
lieve that  the  Anas  cygnoides  was  the  vain,  boastful  bird. 

The  large  number  of  Eggs  laid  by  these  birds  has  led  some 
persons  to  imagine  that,  like  Guinea  Fowls,  they  were  inex- 
haustible, so  that  when  at  last  the  Goose  did  make  her  nest  in 
earnest  (which  may  be  known  by  her  mixing  her  own  down 
with  the  straw)  no  Eggs  had  been  reserved  for  the  poor  thing 
to  sit  upon.  The  best  plan  is  to  date  the  Eggs  with  a  pencil, 
as  they  are  laid,  and  to  consume  only  those  which  are  more 
than  three  weeks  old.  They  are  usually  very  late  with  their 
broods,  but  will  rear  them  well  enough  if  they  are  allowed  to 
take  their  own  time,  and  do  it  after  their  own  manner.  My 
China  Goose  has  now  (June,  1848)  laid  thirty  Eggs,  without 
intimating  any  intention  of  sitting,  but  she  has  annually 
brought  off  a  family  for  the  last  five  years,  and  I  doubt  not  she 
will  again  this  season.  When  the  fit  comes,  she  will  take  pos- 
session of  her  milk-pan,  which  stands  in  a  large  boarded  coop, 
like»a  dog-kennel.  Once  duly  enthroned  there,  she  will  main- 
tain her  seat  with  proper  perseverance  and  tenacity.  A  neigh- 
bour discarded  his  China  Goose  because  she  was  always  found 
standing  over  her  Eggs,  instead  of  sitting  upon  them.  But 
those  were  only  the  preliminaries,  the  overture  to  the  per- 
formance. Hurry  no  man's  cattle ;  and  you  may  as  well  try 
to  hurry  the  Emperor,  as  the  Goose  of  China.  Their  time  of 
incubation  is  five  weeks.  I  have  always  found  them  steady 
sitters  when  they  once  begin  in  earnest,  and  exemplary  parents. 


THE    CHINA     GOOSE.  425 

The  Goose,  on  leaving  her  nest  to  feed,  covers  her  Eggs  care- 
fully. Any  difficulty  in  rearing  them  results  from  want  of 
proper  management.  If,  for  instance,  when  the  bird  does  at 
length  sit,  she  is  insufficiently  supplied  with  Eggs,  or  with  those 
which  have  been  kept  too  long;  or  if  she  be  permitted  to  be 
disturbed  by  dogs,  &c. ;  if  she  be  suffered  to  steal  a  nest,  and 
sit  on  more  than  she  can  cover — things  will  go  wrong.  The 
great  number  of  Eggs  laid  may  perhaps  cause  an  uncertainty 
that  each  one  is  properly  fecundated.  A  China  Goose,  after 
sitting  a  fortnight,  was  driven  from  her  nest  by  a  sow  that  had 
been  permitted  to  get  loose  :  the  Eggs  were  eaten,  shells  and 
all,  and  the  poor  bird  expressed  her  agony  of  mind,  both  by 
her  cries  and  actions.  After  she  became  a  little  calm,  her 
nest  was  re-made  and  supplied  with  fresh  Eggs.  She  continued 
to  sit  for  three  weeks  longer,  as  well  as  could  be.  At  the  end 
of  the  usual  period  of  five  weeks,  she  gave  up  her  task  as  use- 
less, believing  the  Eggs  to  be  addled,  which  they  were  not ; 
and  we  unfortunately  knew  no  language  by  which'  we  could 
persuade  her  that  if  she  would  only  persevere  for  another  fort- 
night, the  reproach  of  barrenness  would  be  taken  away  from  her. 

These  are  annoying  cases  to  practical  ornithotrophists.  But 
even  here  the  difficulty  need  not  have  been  insurmountable; 
and  where  there's  a  will  there's  a  way.  A  worthy  old  couple 
had  the  misfortune  to  have  their  sitting  Goose  killed  in  one 
of  her  daily  promenades,  a  few  days  before  the  Goslings  were 
ready  to  leave  the  shell.  What  was  to  be  done  ?  The  Eggs 
were  cooling  fast;  no  time  was  to  be  lost.  Difficult  emer- 
gencies excite  brilliant  efforts  of  genius.  In  an  instant  the 
old  man  was  undressed  and  in  bed.  To  him  the  orphan  Eggs 
were  transferred.  When  he  grew  tired  of  his  lying-in,  the 
old  lady  took  her  turn/*till  the  Goslings  were  safely  hatched. 

The  prevailing  colour  of  the  plumage  of  the  China  Goose  is 
a  brown,  which  has  aptly  been  compared  to  the  colour  of 
wheat.  The  different  shades  are  very  harmoniously  blended, 


426  THE     CHINA     GOOSE. 

and  are  well  relieved  by  the  black  tuberculated  bill,  and  tho 
pure  white  of  the  abdomen.  Their  movements  on  the  water 
are  graceful  and  swan -like.  It  is  delightful  to  see  them,  on  a 
fine  day  in  spring,  lashing  the  water,  diving,  rolling  over 
through  mere  fun,  and  playing  all  sorts  of  antics.  Slight 
variations  occur  in  the  colour  of  the  feet  and  legs,  some  having 
them  of  a  dull  orange,  others  black :  a  delicate  fringe  of  minute 
white  feathers  is  occasionally  seen  at  the  base  of  the  bill. 
These  peculiarities  are  hereditarily  transmitted.  But  the 
White  China  Goose,  if  it  be  not  specifically  distinct,  is  a 
variety  so  decidedly  marked  as  to  demand  a  separate  notice. 

The  male  is  almost  as  much  disproportionately  larger  than  the 
female  as  the  Musk  Drake  is  in  comparison  with  his  mate. 
He  is  much  inclined  to  libertine  wanderings,  without,  how- 
ever, neglecting  to  pay  proper  attention  at  home.  If  there  is 
any  other  Gander  on  the  same  premises,  they  are  sure  to  dis- 
agree :  one  of  the  two  had  better  be  got  rid  of.  Both  male 
and  female  are,  perhaps,  the  most  noisy  of  all  Geese :  at  night, 
the  least  footfall  or  motion  in  their  neighbourhood  is  sufficient 
to  call  forth  their  clanging  and  resonant  trumpetings.  This, 
to  a  lone  country-house,  is  an  advantage  and  a  protection. 
Any  fowl-stealer  would  be  stunned  with  their  din  before  he 
captured  them  alive,  and  the  family  must  be  deaf  indeed  that 
could  sleep  on  through  the  alarm  thus  given.  But  by  day  it 
becomes  a  nuisance  to  the  majority  of  hearers,  and  has  caused 
them  to  be  relinquished  by  many  amateurs.  One  is  inclined 
to  address  them  as  O'Connell  did  the  uproarious  fellow  who 
was  interrupting  his  speech,  "  I  wish  you  had  a  hot  potato  in 
your  mouth."  Or  they  might  take  a  lesson  from  jElian's 
Geese : — a  The  Geese,  when  shifting  about  Mount  Taurus,  are 
afraid  of  the  Eagles,  and  each  one  or  them,  taking  a  stone  in 
its  mouth,  that  they  may  not  cry  out,  as  if  putting  a  gag  upon 
themselves,  fly  through  their  course  in  silence,  and  in  this 
manner  generally  quite  escape  the  notice  of  the  Eagles."— 


THE     CHINA     GOOSE.  427 

Book  v.   chap.  29.     We,   however,    prefer   that   our   G-eese 
should  silence  themselves  with  grass  and  corn. 

The  Eggs  of  the  China  Goose  are  somewhat  less  than  those 
of  the  domestic  kind,  of  a  shorty  oval,  with  a  smooth  thick 
shell,  white,  but  slightly  tinged  with  yellow  at  the  smaller  end. 
The  Goslings,  when  first  hatched,  are  usually  very  strong. 
They  are  of  a  dirty  green,  like  the  colour  produced  by  mixing 
Indian  ink  and  yellow  ochre,  with  darker  patches  here  and 
there.  The  legs  and  feet  are  lead-colour,  but  afterwards 
change  to  a  dull  red.  If  there  is  any  thing  like  good  pas- 
turage for  them,  they  require  no  further  attention  than  what 
their  parents  will  afford  them.  After  a  time  a  little  grain  will 
strengthen  and  forward  them.  If  well  fed,  they  come  to  ma- 
turity very  rapidly.  In  between  three  and  four  months  from 
the  time  of  their  leaving  the  shell,  they  will  be  full-grown 
and  ready  for  the  spit.  They  do  not  bear  being  shut  up  to 
fatten  so  well  as  common  Geese,  and  therefore  those  destined 
for  the  table  are  the  better  for  profuse  hand-feeding.  Their 
flesh  is  well-flavoured,  short,  and  tender;  their  Eggs  are  ex- 
cellent for  cooking  purposes.  I  have  heard  complaints  of  their 
being  a  short-lived  species,  from  good  authority,  and  that  the 
Ganders  at  least  do  not  last  more  than  ten  or  a  dozen  years- 
The  instance  above-mentioned  does  not  show  them  to  be  long- 
lived.  I  cannot  verify  the  facts,  as  my  own  experience  with 
these  birds  extends  only  to  about  eight  years;  but  it  is  quite 
in  opposition  to  the  longevity  ascribed  to  other  Geese.  Hy- 
brids between  them  and  the  common  Goose  are  prolific  with 
the  common  Goose ;  the  second  and  third  cross  is  much  prized 
by  some  farmers,  particularly  for  their  Ganders  :*  and  in  many 

*"I  can  warmly  recommend  the  cross  of  the  China  Gander  with 
the  common  Goose,  as  producing  finer  birds  and  of  much  finer  flavour; 
I  have  kept  them  for  years.  Indeed,  I  like  the  cross  better  every 
season,  and  have  given  Ganders  to  several  friends  to  adopt  the  same 


428  THE    CHINA    GOOSE. 

flocks  the  blood  of  the  China  Goose  may  often  be  traced  by 
the  more  erect  gait  of  the  birds,  accompanied  by  a  faint  stripe 
down  the  back  of  the  neck.  With  the  White-fronted  Goose 
they  also  breed  freely.  9 

In  the  very  clear  and  useful  "  Manual  of  British  Vertebrate 
Animals/'  by  the  Rev.  Leonard  Jenyns,  this  bird  is  recorded 
as  Cyguus  Guineensis,  or  Guinea  Swan,  another  synonyme; 
though  it  is  hesitatingly  added,  "  Native  country  somewhat 
doubtful." 


plan." — W.  D.  F.  "They  frequently  couple  with  our  tame  Geese, 
and  produce  a  bastard  kind  between  both ;  they  are  excellent  meat 
when  young  and  fat,  being  of  a  different  and  pleasant  taste  from 
that  of  the  common  Goose" — Albin,  vol.  i.  p.  87. 

"  I  cannot  say  that  I  admire  the  edible  qualities  of  the  Canada 
Swan,  for  such  it  properly  is.  We  tried  one  here  a  few  years  back, 
and  only  voted  it,  I  believe  unanimously,  extremely  good  for  nothing. 
The  knob-fronted,  or  Swan  Goose,  is  really  a  good  bird,  and  I  have 
known  some  families  which  regularly  kept  them  for  the  table  in  pre- 
ference to  the  common  bird." — E.  of  D. 

"In  the  government  of  Penda,  all  kinds  of  Poultry  are  of  a  large 
size ;  the  Geese  are  mostly  of  a  spurious  breed  from  the  Chinese,  or 
those  with  a  swan-neck ;  and  in  every  village  Pigeons  fly  about  in 
abundance." — Pallas,  South  Russia,  vol.  ii.  p.  18. 


429 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

THE     BREMEN      GOOSE. 

THE  following  communication  was  kindly  furnished  me  by 
Samuel  Jaques,  Jr.,  Esq.,  accompanied  with  portraits  of  his 
beautiful  Bremen  Geese.  This,  and.  the  Chinese  or  Hong 
Kong  variety,  may  be  regarded  as  standing  at  the  head  of 
their  class. 

Ten  Hills  Farm,  near  Boston,  Mass.,  Dec.  12th,  1850. 

J.  J.  KERR,  M.  D. : 

Dear  Sir, — My  father — Col.  Samuel  Jaques — has  had  in- 
timation from  his  friend,  Dr.  Eben  Wight,  of  Boston,  that  you 
were  about  to  publish  a  work  on  the  subject  of  Domestic 
Fowls,  Birds,  &c.,  and  that  you  would  be  pleased  to  receive 
from  my  father  some  information  relative  to  his  Bremen 
Geese — a  name  they  have  received  in  consequence  of  their 
having  come  from  that  place  originally.  I  have  my  father's 
notes  to  guide  me  in  making  the  following  statements,  as  well 
as  his  approbation  that  you  should  be  furnished  with  them. 

In  the  winter  of  1820,  a  gentleman,  a  stranger,  made  a 
brief  call  at  my  father's  house;  and,  in  course  of  conversation, 
casually  mentioned,  that,  during  his  travels  in  the  interior  of 
Germany,  he  had  noticed  a  pure  white  breed  of  Geese,  of  un- 
usual size,  whose  weight,  he  supposed,  would  not  fall  much 
short  of  twenty-five  pounds  each,  providing  they  were  well  fed 
and  managed.  At  that  period,  a  friend  of  my  father's — the 


430  THE     BREMEN     GOOSE. 

late  Eben  Rollins,  Esq.,  of  Boston — kept  a  correspondence 
with  the  house  of  Dallias  &  Co.,  in  Bremen,  and  at  his  re- 
quest, Mr.  Rollins  ordered,  through  that  firm,  and  on  my 
father's  account,  two  danders  and  four  Geese,  of  the  breed 
mentioned  by  the  stranger  gentleman.  The  Geese  arrived  to 
order  in  Boston,  in  the  month  of  October,  1821;  and  I  append 
a  copy  of  "Directions  relative  to  the  Geese  from  Bremen," 
given  to  the  captain  of  the  ship  in  which  they  arrived.  I 
hold  the  original  in  my  possession ;  and  transcribe  it  verb, 
et  lit. : — 

"Emden,  17 th  August,  1821. 

"The  captain  who  is  to  take  over  these  six  Geese  will  find 
the  cages  a  little  large;  however,  it  is  necessary  that  their 
lodgings  be  sufficient  wide,  if  they  shall  arrive  sound  in 
America.  Two  Geese  which  were  sent  to  Bremen  last  year 
in  a  small  box,  died  on  their  arrival  there;  being  water-birds, 
they  want  a  much  more  careful  management  than  Fowls;  they 
ought  to  have  constantly  fresh  water  in  abundance;  a  quantity 
of  good  sand  and  muscle  scells,  (shells,)  serving  for  their  di- 
gestion, must  be  put  into  their  feed-box ;  there  ought  to  be 
always  sand  and  straw  below  in  their  cage  for  litter;  also  above 
the  cage,  as  the  birds  perish  otherwise  by  insects.  The  Geese 
must  be  feeded ;  they  used  to  pick  the  straw  from  above  down 
to  the  feet.  The  Geese  must  be  feeded  with  good  clean  oats, 
and  sometimes  with  cabbage  leaves/' 

Ever  since  my  father  imported  the  Bremen  Geese,  he  has 
kept  them  pure,  and  bred  them  so  to  a  feather — no  single  in- 
stance having  occurred  in  which  the  slightest  deterioration  of 
character  could  be  observed.  Invariably  the  produce  has  been 
of  the  purest  white — the  bill,  legs,  and  feet,  of  a  beautiful 
yellow.  No  solitary  mark  or  spot  has  crept  out  on  the  plum- 
age of  any  one  specimen,  to  shame  the  true  distinction  they 
deserve  of  being  a  pure  breed :  like,  with  them,  always  haa 
produced  like. 


THE     BREMEN      GOOSE.  431 

The  original  stock  has  never  been  out  of  my  father's  pos- 
session ;  nor  has  he  ever  crossed  it  with  any  other  kind,  since 
H  was  imported  in  1821. 

I  find,  by  reference  to  my  father's  notes,  that,  in  1826,  and 
in  order  to  mark  his  property  indelibly,  he  took  one  of  his 
favourite  imported  Geese,  and,  with  the  instrument  used  for 
cutting  gun-waddings,  made  a  hole  through  the  web  of  the 
left  foot.  This  was  done  on  the  26th  June  :  and  now,  in 
1850,  the  same  Goose,  with  the  perforation  in  her  foot,  is 
running  about  his  poultry-yard,  in  as  fine  health  and  vigour  as 
any  of  her  progeny.  She  has  never  failed  to  lay  from  twelve 
to  sixteen  Eggs  every  year,  for  the  last  twenty-seven  years, 
and  has  always  been  an  excellent  breeder  and  nurse,  as  has 
all  of  the  stock  and  offspring  connected  with  her.  I  had  the 
curiosity  to  weigh  one  of  her  brood  of  1849,  when  nine  months 
old  exactly,  and  his  weight,  in  feather,  sent  up  22  Ibs.  in  the 
opposite  scale.  This  hugeous  Anser  has  been  preferred  to 
breed  from,  the  coming  season. 

In  1832,  a  bull-dog  killed  several  of  my  father's  Geese,  and, 
among  them,  the  two  Ganders  originally  imported.  For  the 
last  eighteen  years  he  has  bred  by  his  young  Ganders — putting 
them  indiscriminately  to  parents  and  sisters — and  reserving 
the  best  of  the  produce,  male  and  female,  for  breeding.  In 
so  doing,  he  has  never  experienced  any  deterioration  in  weight, 
feather,  or  stamina,  as  has  been  exemplified  in  the  above-men- 
tioned instance  of  the  nine-months  old  Gander,  so  produced, 
and  whose  food  was  almost  exclusively  grass. 

As  quality  of  flesh,  combined  with  weight,  is  a  main  con- 
sideration, I  wish  to  mention,  regarding  the  former,  that  the 
flesh  of  the  Bremen  Goose  is  very  different  from  that  of  any 
of  our  best  domestic  varieties.  It  does  not  partake  of  that 
dry  character  which  belongs  to  other  and  more  common  kinds, 
but  is  as  tender  and  juicy  as  the  flesh  of  a  wild  Fowl;  besides, 
it  shrinks  less  in  the  process  of  cooking,  than  that  of  any  other 


432  THE    BREMEN     GOOSE. 

Fowl.  Some  of  the  keenest  epicures  have  declared  that  the  flesh 
of  the  Bremen  Goose  is  equal,  if  not  superior,  to  that  of  the 
celebrated  Canvas-back  Duck.  There  is  assuredly  some  comfort, 
not  uncombined  with  ease,  in  carving  a  bird  that  weighs  seven- 
teen pounds,  and  taking  a  slice  from  the  breast,  so  long  as  to 
be  obliged  to  cut  it  into  two,  that  one-half  may  cover  no  more 
than  the  width  of  a  common  dinner-plate. 

The  Bremen  Goose  inclines  to  commence  laying  at  an  earlier 
period  than  this  northern  latitude  favours,  which  is  in  the  latter 
part  of  February.  To  give  the  young  fair  play,  it  is  not  ad- 
visable that  hatching  should  be  finished  before  the  first  of  June. 
The  mode  of  prevention  used  by  my  father  is  as  follows : — 

The  whole  of  the  breeding  stock,  male  and  female,  are  put 
into  a  dark  room — say  about  the  twentieth  of  February — and 
kept  there  until  about  the  tenth  day  of  April.  When  in 
durance  they  are  well  fed  once  a  day  with  corn,  and  allowed 
sufficient  water  all  along  to  drink.  Once  a  week  they  are 
allowed  to  get  out  for  one  hour,  to  wash  and  plume  themselves, 
and  are  then  shut  up  again.  While  thus  confined,  they  lose 
the  inclination  to  breed,  and  do  not  assume  it  while  they 
are  kept  shut  up ;  but,  in  eight  or  ten  days  after  they  are  set 
at  liberty,  the  disposition  returns,  and  they  commence  laying. 

The  mode  adopted  by  my  father  to  bring  the  broods  of  Gos- 
lings forth  in  one  day,  is  as  under,  and  has  been  followed  by 
him  for  many  years,  with  unvarying  results.  In  1840,  he  had 
four  Ganders  and  ten  Geese  for  breeding  purposes.  At  that 
time,  he  had  as  many  as  thirty  milk  Cows  in  one  stable,  the 
large  door  of  which  opened  upon  the  farm-lane.  Directly  in 
front  of  this  door,  he  had  his  boxes,  or  nests,  in  which  the 
Geese  laid  their  Eggs.  These  boxes  I  will  describe  in  course. 
The  man  who  had  charge  of  the  Cows,  had  also  the  care  of  the 
Geese,  and  he  worked  by  the  following  instructions.  First : 
the  Geese  were  to  be  carefully  and  properly  fed.  Secondly  : 
the  Eggs  were  to  be  removed  in  the  most  gentle  manner,  every 


THE     BREMEN     GOOSE.  433 

day,  from  the  nests,  and  placed  in  a  basket  of  cotton,  which 
was  kept  in  a  moderate  temperature  and  free  from  damp. 
When  all  the  Geese  had  begun  to  sit  steadily,  each  was  fur- 
nished with  a  nest  composed  of  chopped  straw,  and  care  was 
taken  that  the  nest  was  sufficiently  capacious.  The  Eggs  were 
then  set,  and  the  Geese  allowed  to  sit  upon  them. 

Strict  atte-ntion  was  enjoined  upon  the  attendant,  not  to 
allow  more  than  one  of  the  Geese  to  leave  her  Eggs  at  a  time. 
As  soon  as  one  leaves  the  nest,  she  makes  a  cackling  noise, 
which  was  to  be  the  signal  for  the  man  in  attendance  to  go 
and  shut  up  the  boxes  in  which  the  remainder  were  sitting ; 
consequently,  when  the  Goose  returned,  she  found  only  her 
own  box  open.  So  soou  as  she  had  entered,  the  whole  of  the 
doors  were  again  opened,  and  the  same  rule  observed  through- 
out the  period  of  hatching.  In  following  this  style  of  manage- 
ment, every  Goose  was  kept  to  its  own  nest.  There  were  one 
hundred  and  twenty  Eggs  set  altogether,  twelve  to  each  of  the 
ten  breeding  Geese  before  alluded;  and  at  the  end  of  four 
weeks,  which  is  the  usual  period  of  incubation,  there  were 
eighty-eight  Goslings  produced,  all  in  one  day,  and  they  formed 
a  beautiful  sight. 

When  first  hatched,  the  Goslings  are  of  a  very  delicate  and 
tender  constitution.  My  father's  general  practice,  is  to  let 
them  remain  in  the  box  in  which  they  were  hatched  for  twenty- 
four  hours  after  they  leave  the  shell ;  but  he  regulates  this 
by  the  weather,  which,  if  fair  and  warm,  may  tolerate  the  let- 
ting the  Goslings  out  an  hour  or  two  in  the  middle  of  the  day, 
when  they  may  wet  their  little  bills,  and'  nibble  at  the  grass. 
They  ought  not  to  be  out  in  the  rain  at  any  time  during  the 
first  month.  A  very  shallow  pool,  dug  in  the  yard,  with  a 
bucket  or  two  of  water  thrown  into  it,  to  suit  the  temporary 
purpose  of  bathing,  is  sufficient  during  the  period  named. 

The  practice  of  feeding  my  father  follows,  is  not  to  give  the 
Goslings  any  grain  whatever,  after  they  are  four  days  old,  until 

37 


434  THE    BREMEN     GOOSE. 

snow  falls,  when  they  require  to  be  fed  on  corn  for  a  time. 
He  thinks,  however,  that  if  well  fed  on  grain  from  the  time 
they  were  hatched,  they  might  weigh  from  4  Ibs.  to  7  Ibs.  more 
than  by  leaving  them  to  grass-feeding  alone. 

By  feeding  his  Geese  until  they  are  four  days  old,  and  then 
literally  "sending  them  to  grass,"  the  weight  of  my  father's 
Geese,  at  seven  to  eight  months  old,  has  averaged  from  17  to 
18  Ibs.  each,  after  the  feathers  had  been  cleanly  picked  off. 
He  has  no  doubt  that  25  Ibs.  could  be  easily  attained  by  a  lit- 
tle attention  to  feeding  with  grain. 

The  breeding-boxes  mentioned  above  are  made  in  the  fashion 
something  like  a  dog-kennel,  with  a  roof  pitched  both  ways. 
They  are  30  inches  long,  by  24  inches  wide,  and  are  24  inches 
in  height.  The  door  is  in  the  end,  and  is  covered  by  a  sliding 
panel,  which  moves  upwards,  when  egress  or  ingress  is  sought, 
and  may  be  shut  down  at  pleasure.  For  the  first  month,  the 
Geese  and  Goslings  are  all  shut  up  in  the  boxes  at  night,  in 
order  to  protect  them  against  rain  and  vermin. 

Having  had  the  breed  of  Geese  in  question  sent  him  from 
Bremen,  my  father  named  them  after  that  place ;  but  English 
writers  call  this  variety  the  "EMBDEN  GEESE."  It  will  be 
seen  from  what  I  have  stated  above,  that  my  father  was  the 
original  importer  of  this  description,  and  therefore  is  entitled 
to  the  credit  of  first  introducing  it  to  the  United  States. 
It  is  certain  that  he  had  the  Bremen  Geese  in  his  possession, 
at  least  five  years  prior  to  the  time  when  Mr.  James  Sisson, 
of  Rhode  Island,  imported  his;  and  since  1821,  my  father  has 
furnished  this  breed  to  many  parties  residing  in  almost '  every 
State  in  this  Union,  as  also  in  Canada  and  Nova  Scotia.  His 
charge  has  universally  been  five  dollars  for  each,  dead  or  alive. 

I  may  have  omitted  details  including  some  interest,  but  am 
not  at  present  aware  of  there  being  any  such  forgotten. 
I  am,  dear  Sir,  respectfully  yours, 

SAMUEL  JAQUES,  JR. 


435 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

THE     WHITE-FRONTED,     OR     LAUGHING    GOOSE. 

MR.  DIXON  observes  that  Ornamental  Poultry  may  be  di- 
vided into  three  classes,  not  with  reference  to  their  beauty  or 
their  natural  arrangement,  but  in  respect  of  their  capabilities 
for  domestication.  The  first  class  comprises  those  that  are 
really  domestic,  (if  we  derive  the  word  from  domus,  a  house,) 
that  unhesitatingly  confide  themselves  to  the  protection  of  Man, 
and  may  be  trusted  with  their  complete  liberty,  in  the  certainty 
that  they  will  prefer  the  shelter  of  his  roof,  at  proper  times 
and  seasons,  to  a  state  of  nature.  This  would  include  Cocks 
and  Hens,  some  Pigeons,  Turkeys,  the  Common  Domestic, 
and  the  China  Geese,  the  Musk  Duck,  and  a  few  others. 

The  second  class  includes  those  birds  which  are  restrained 
from  resuming  their  original  wild  habits,  more  by  the  influence 
of  local  and  personal  attachment,  than  from  any  love  they  seem 
to  have  for  the  comforts  of  domestication;  which  may  be 
trusted  with  their  entire  liberty,  or  nearly  so,  but  require  an 
eye  to  be  kept  on  them  from  time  to  time,  lest  they  stray  away 
and  assume  an  independent  condition.  In  this  class  we  have 
the  Pea-JFowl,  the  White-fronted  Goose,  the  Wigeon,  the  Ca- 
nada Goose,  the  Egyptian  Goose,  and  others,  including  per- 
haps the  Common  Duck. 

The  third  class  embraces  all  those  birds  which,  however  fa- 


436  THE     WHITE-FRONTED     GOOSE. 

miliar  they  may  become,  so  as  even  to  eat  from  the  hand  of 
their  keeper,  are  yet  in  their  hearts  as  un  tameable  as  a  fly;  and 
must,  therefore,  be  kept  in  complete,  though  to  many  eyes  in- 
visible restraint,  lest  they  withdraw  themselves  completely 
from  all  human  control;  and  whose  taste  for  domestication 
does  not  seem  to  increase,  though  many  successive  generations 
of  them  have  been  bred  in  captivity.  In  this  class  we  have 
the  Swan,  the  Teal,  the  common  Gallinule,  the  Pheasant,  the 
Nycthemerus,  and  indeed  all  the  inmates  of  our  cages,  avia- 
ries, and  menageries,  that  are  not  included  in  the  first  and 
second  classes. 

It  is  clear  that  from  the  second  class  alone  can  we  hope  to 
obtain  any  useful  and  profitable  addition  to  our  stock  of  Poul- 
try. A  bird  must  be  found  to  belong  undoubtedly  to  that, 
before  it  can  be  promoted  into  the  first  class.  The  great  diffi- 
culty in  looking  over  this  unlimited  third  class,  is  to  discover 
which  species  may  be  advanced  into  the  second.  Some  are 
decidedly  hopeless  cases.  The  Swan,  for  instance,  and  the 
Pheasant,  are  no  more  likely  at  this  moment  to  become  domes- 
tic than  they  were  when  first  discovered  amidst  the  streams 
and  copses  of  Western  Asia.  Ages  before  the  discovery  of 
America,  while  the  Turkey  remained  yet  unsuspicious  of  the 
settler's  rifle,  they  were  as  domestic  as  they  now  are,  and  as 
they  are  ever  likely  to  be.  It  is  true  Temminck  speaks  of 
the  Oygne  Domestique,  and  says  that  it  "lives  in  domesticity 
in  most  countries,  very  abundant  in  Holland" — but  the  term 
domesticity  appears  only  likely  to  lead  into  error,  when  applied 
to  a  creature  that  hates  the  confinement  of  a  house,  pining  and 
wasting  if  compelled  to  remain  long  in  one,  the  use  of  whose 
wings  is  obliged  to  be  curtailed  by  amputation,  which  is  kept 
within  bounds  on  a  stream  only  by  mutual  jealousy  and  the 
difficulty  it  has  in  travelling  far  by  land,  to  say  nothing  of 
park-palings  and  mill-dams.^ 

The  White-fronted  Goose  is  an  excellent  example  of  our 


THE     WHITE-FRONTED     GOOSE.  437 

second  class,  and  well  deserves  the  patronage  of  those  who 
have  even  a  small  piece  of  grass.  Its  natural  history  in  a  wild 
state  is  fully  detailed  in  Mr.  Yarrell's  valuable  "British  Birds;" 
the  figure  also  is  very  good,  though  it  is  a  pity  that  a  pair  of  Geese 
were  not  given ;  but  as  the  works  of  that  gentleman,  like  every 
other  original  book  on  the  subject,  have  been  largely  drawn 
upon,  I  refrain  from  borrowing  what  he  has  written,  particu- 
larly as  the  object  of  this  volume  is,  not  to  encroach  upon  the 
department  of  the  systematic  naturalist,  but  merely  to  state 
what  has  been  observed  of  birds  that  have  been  reclaimed. 

The  first  impression  of  every  one  who  saw  the  White-fronted 
Groose  in  confinement,  would  be  that  it  could  not  be  trusted 
with  liberty ;  and  the  .sight  of  it,  exercising  its  wings  at  its 
first  escape,  would  make  its  owner  despair  of  recovering  it.  A 
pair  of  young  ones  that  were  bred  in  this  country  were  kindly 
supplied  to  me,  and  though  they  were  evidently  not  wild,  their 
friskiness  and  vivacity  were  such,  that  it  appeared  best  to 
shorten  the  quill-feathers  of  one  wing,  and  so  deprive  them  of 
the  power  of  flight  till  their  next  moult.  Long  before  that 
time,  however,  their  confidence  and  attachment  removed  all 
hesitation  as  to  the  future.  Now,  at  the  most  distant  sound 
of  my  voice,  they  will  come  flying,  like  Pigeons,  to  alight  at 
my  feet ;  and  occasionally,  particularly  in  winter  and  spring, 
perform  graceful  evolutions  in  the  air,  that  show  great  power 
of  wing  and  enjoyment  in  its  exercise.  They  are  perfectly 
unrestrained,  except  that  the  kitchen-garden  is  forbidden  to 
them.  During  the  severe  weather  in  the  winter  of  1846-7, 
while  the  herbage  was  buried  deep  under  the  snow,  we  feared 
they  might  be  tempted  to  join  some  of  their  travelling  re- 
lations that  now  and  then  passed  overhead ;  but  we  swept  a 
spot  bare  in  the  orchard,  to  amuse  them  with  the  idea  of  grass, 
threw  down  a  few  Savoy  cabbages,  gave  them  a  little  extra 
corn,  and,  though  they  would  fly  over  the  house,  to  get  at  a 
spring  where  the  water  was  still  unfrozen,  they  showed  no  wish 

37* 


438  THE     WHITE-FRONTED     GOOSE. 

to  seek  their  fortunes  elsewhere,  or  desert  their  old  companion, 
a  China  Goose,  who  could  only  proceed  on  foot  to  take  her 
draught  at  the  brook. 

We  have  now  had  them  more  than  three  years.  In  the 
spring  of  1846,  the  Goose  laid  some  Eggs  in  an  exposed  spot, 
and  dropped  one  or  two  others  here  and  there,  which  were 
added  to  them,  and  she  then  sat  as  well  as  Goose  could  sit. 
But  owing  to  the  persecutions  of  an  ill-natured  Canada  Gan- 
der, whose  delight  it  was  to  drive  her  from  her  nest,  and  way- 
lay and  beat  her  as  she  was  returning  to  it  from  grazing,  the 
Eggs  were  all  addled,  and  the  poor  bird,  for  some  time  after- 
wards, showed  her  dejection  and  disappointment.  Her  mate 
did  what  he  could  to  protect  her  from  the  assaults  of  her  enemy, 
but  his  inferior  size  and  strength  rendered  him  powerless. 
She  did  not  produce  a  second  laying,  as  is  the  case  with  many 
birds  under  similar  circumstances.  In  the  mean  while,  the 
truculent  Canadian  had  been  banished ;  and  in  the  spring  of 
1847,  she  selected  a  better  place  for  her  nest.  She  scratched 
a  hollow  in  the  ground,  at  the  edge  of  a  grass  walk,  under  a 
white-thorn,  about  eighteen  inches  above  the  surface  of  the 
water.  The  Eggs  were  removed  as  laid,  and,  when  she  began 
sitting,  restored  to  her,  with  a  bunch  of  straw,  which  she  ar- 
ranged according  to  her  own  pleasure,  and  with  which  she 
could  cover  her  Eggs  whenever  she  had  occasion  to  leave  them. 
She  began  sitting  on  the  7th  of  April ;  on  the  7th  of  May  two 
very  pretty  Goslings  came  forth,  one  of  which  promised  to  be 
white ;  the  next  day  they  were  missing,  and  the  rat-catcher 
explained  the  cause  of  their  sudden  disappearance,  by  extract- 
ing an  enormous  rat  from  a  hole  immediately  under  the  nest. 
The  remaining  Eggs  proved  unfertile;  doubtless,  from  the 
Gander  being  permitted  to  enjoy  the  society  of  the  above-men- 
tioned China  Goose.  After  the  loss  of  her  young,  and  the 
abstraction  of  her  worthless  Eggs,  she  still  persevered  in  sit- 
ting, with  vain  expectation,  on  the  empty  nest.  To  prevent 


THE     WHITE-FRONTED     GOOSE.  439 

this,  we  filled  the  hollow  with  thorns.  She  then  betook  her- 
self to  watch  the  success  of  her  rival,  the  China  Goose,  who 
was  still  sitting.  When  the  little  ones  came  forth  from  their 
shelly  prison,  she  assisted  in  affording  them  a  mother's  care, 
leading  them  to  the  tenderest  herbage,  brooding  them  under 
her  wings,  and  accompanying  all  their  movements  with  their 
real  parent. 

The  Eggs  are  smaller  than  those  of  the  Common  Goose, 
pure  white,  and  of  a  very  long  oval ;  whether  this  is  a  specific, 
or  only  an  individual  peculiarity,  I  am  unable  to  say.  The 
shell  is  also  thinner  than  most  other  Gooses'  Eggs.  The  flesh, 
both  of  the  wild  and  of  the  tame  bird  excellent.  In  hard 
weather,  they  are  frequently  to  be  had  at  the  poulterers'  shops, 
and  generally  at  low  prices,  in  the  provinces  at  least,  owing  to 
an  unfounded  supposition  that  their  flesh  would  :&e  fishy,  as  in 
the  sometimes  scarcely  eatable  Brent  Goose.  But  those  who 
are  fond  of  game,  will  find  it,  if  hung  up  long  enough,  a  dish 
for  an  epicure. 

If  my  own  birds  are  to  be  taken  as  specimens,  the  White- 
fronted  Goose  is  a  pattern  of  all  that  is  valuable  in  anserine 
nature,  gentle,  affectionate,  cheerful,  hardy,  useful,  self-de- 
pendent. The  Gander  is  an  attentive  parent,  but  not  a  faithful 
spouse.  Indeed,  it  is  time  to  contradict  what  has  been  pub- 
lished on  this  latter  point,  and  to  caution  amateur  breeders 
that  Ganders  have  not  the  virtues  of  Scipio.  Two  treatises, 
now  before  me,  have  the  following  passage,  differing  slightly 
from  each  other  in  the  wording : 

"It  has  been  ascertained,  by  M.  St.  Genis,  that  Geese  will 
pair  like  Pigeons  and  Partridges;  in  the  course  of  his  experi- 
ments, he  remarked,  that,  if  the  number  of  the  Ganders  exceed 
that  of  the  Geese  by  two,  and  even  by  three,  including  the 
common  father,  no  disturbance  nor  disputes  occur,  the  pairing 
taking  place  without  any  noise,  and  no  doubt  by  mutual 
choice.  Besides  the  common  father,  he  left  two  of  the  young 


440  THE     WHITE     CHINA    GOOSE. 

Ganders  unprovided  with  female  companions ;  but  the  couples 
which  had  paired  kept  constantly  together,  and  the  three  sin- 
gle Ganders  did  not,  during  temporary  separations  of  the  males 
and  females,  offer  to  approach  the  latter." 

Acting  on  this  advice,  I  permitted  pairs  of  four  different 
species  of  Geese  to  associate  together  during  the  season  of 
1846.  Three  Ganders  of  the  four  appeared  to  think  that  each 
Goose,  except  his  own,  was  at  liberty  to  be  unfaithful;  and 
that  every  Gander,  except  himself,  was  wrong  in  committing 
an  infidelity.  What  with  their  jealousies  before  laying-time, 
and  their  quarrels  after  it,  with  plenty  of  Eggs,  we  did  not 
get  a  single  Gosling  of  any  sort  throughout  the  whole  summer. 


THE  WHITE   CHINA  GOOSE. 

Or  this  variety,  Mr.  Dixon  says : — "  Every  like  is  not  the 
same,"  is  a  principle  that  is  beginning  more  and  more  to  in- 
fluence the  reasonings  of  zoologists,  and  to  affect  their  conclu- 
sions with  respect  to  Wild  Animals.  The  important  deductions 
derived  from  minute  differences,  in  creatures  that  are  almost 
in  juxtaposition  together,  both  systematically  and  locally,  may 
be  seen  in  the  late  "  Voyage  of  the  Beagle  round  the  World," 
and  in  the  lt  Quarterly  Review,"  on  "Broderip's  Zoological 
Recreations"  (March,  1848).  But  with  Domesticated  Ani- 
mals, a  diametrically  opposite  axiom  would  seem  to  hold;  they 
are  described  and  catalogued  apparently  on  the  rule  that 
"things  maybe  unlike,  and  yet  the  same."  The  many  dif- 
ferent kinds  of  Fowl  are  supposed  to  be  varieties — by  which,  I 
presume,  is  meant  transmutable,  or  at  least  transmuted  forms—- 
of one,  or  at  most,  two  or  three  wild  originals;  and  the  history 
of  the  Domestic  Goose  is  quietly  settled,  by  considering  it  as 
the  result  of  a  fusion  of  three  or  four  different  species  melted 


THE    WHITE     CHINA    GOOSE.  441 

and  mixed  into  one.  Believe  it ! — those  who  think  that  the 
Bernicle  G-oose  originates  from  a  worm  engendered  in  the  sea 
from  rotten  wood — not  I.  Perhaps  these  essays  may  cause 
the  real  truth  to  be  more  closely  investigated. 

If,  within  the  last  half-dozen  years,  three  different  sorts  (I 
abstain  from  using  a  stricter  word)  of  China  Geese,  identical 
with  those  with  which  we  are  acquainted,  had  been  discovered 
in  three  adjacent  islands  of  the  Indian  Archipelago,  they  would 
probably  have  been  formed  into  a  separate  genus,  say  Cygnb- 
ides,  or  better,  QEderamphus,  of  which  the  species  might  be, 
first,  albus,  or  galeatissimus,  as  typical;  the  next  rufpes,  and 
the  third,  perhaps,  bseticus,  retaining,  though  in  a  different 
sense,  one  of  its  trivial  names.  We  should  have,  as  a  generic 
character,  (( forehead  surmounted  with  a  large  knob,  partly 
fleshy  and  partly  osseous,  increasing  with  age ;  beak  powerful, 
highly  ridged,  adapted  to  the  digging  up  and  division  of  roots 
and  tubers,  to  which  purpose  it  is  often  applied ; " — they  make 
short  work  with  a  potato — "habits,  more  terrestial  than 
aquatic ;  attitudes,  in  the  water  graceful  and  swanlike,  on 
land,  constrained  and  usually  erect;  voice,  harsh  and  loud; 
powers  of  flight  very  limited  and  weak/'  and  so  on;  then 
would  follow  the  specific  distinctions. 

Now,  we  will  further  suppose  that  a  stock  of  each  of  these 
species  was  either  brought  to  England,  or  retained  in  domesti- 
cation on  the  neighbouring  Asiatic  continent,  or  both ;  that  the 
islands  became  thickly  peopled,  or  repeatedly  visited  by  mari- 
ners armed  with  fowling-pieces,  and  anxious  for  fresh  meat, 
and  also  for  sport.  The  birds  cannot  escape  by  flight,  nor  by 
running  away;  they  can  neither  swim  so  swiftly,  nor  dive  so 
far  as  to  baffle  a  boat  and  a  crew  of  stout  rowers ;  they  make 
no  attempt  to  conceal  themselves,  as  a  common  Hen  will  if  she 
be  hunted  in  a  shrubbery;  their  loud  cries  betray  them  when 
unseen;  and,  consequently,  in  their  native  home,  they  un- 
dergo the  fate  of  the  Dodo :  they  are  exterminated.  But  their 


442  THE    WHITE     CHINA    GOOSE. 

aptitude  for  domestication  has  preserved  the  race:  they  sur- 
vive in  our  poultry-yards,  artificial  lakes,  and  Zoological  Gar- 
dens,* and,  after  a  while,  they  are  styled  varieties  of,  nobody 
indeed  knows  what.  If  they  had  refused  to  propogate  in  cap- 
tivity, they  would  have  become  extinct,  like  the  Uri  of  the 
Hercynian  forest.f 

Is  this  an  impossible  or  even  an  unlikely  case  ?  Where  are 
we  now  to  find  a  wild  Cereopsis  ?  Where  will  our  great-grand- 
children be  able  to  find  a  Wild  Turkey  a  hundred  years 
hence  ? 

But  before  finally  determining  to  fix  the  appellation  of 
species,  or  variety,  to  any  particular  race  of  animals,  it  will  be 
necessary  first  to  settle  the  question  of  what  is  meant  by  the 
terms  Genus,  Species,  and  Variety.  They  are  all  understood 
to  denote  certain  degrees  of  difference,  that  are  made  use  of 
to  assist  in  classification  ;  but  the  precise  lines  of  demarcation 
of  each  are  extremely  difficult  to  define.  It  is  generally  as- 
sumed that  individuals  of  different  genera  will  refuse  to  breed 
together ;  that  the  mules  between  different  species  are  sterile ; 
and  that  varieties  are  merely  accidental  and  recent  examples 
of  a  slight  alteration  in  the  external  character  of  species, 
which  do  not  affect  their  continuance  as  a  race,  and,  perhaps, 
disappear  altogether  after  a  time.  But  in  opposition  to  this, 
hybrids  have  been  produced  between  the  Egyptian  Goose  and 
the  Penguin  Duck ;  also  between  the  Common  Fowl  and  the 


*  "  The  forethought  and  industry  of  Man  assists  in  the  preserva- 
tion and  safety  of  not  a  few  animals,  and  those  things  which  the 
earth  produces.  For  there  are  many,  both  of  beasts  and  plants,  that 
could  not  continue  in  existence,  if  deprived  of  the  protection  of 
Man." — CICERO,  De  Naturd  JDeorum  II. 

f  "  But  not  even  when  taken  very  small,  can  the  Uri  be  reconciled 
to  the  presence  of  man,  and  become  tame." — CAESAR  de  Bello  Gallice, 
lib.  ii.  cap.  28. 


THE     WHITE     CHINA     GOOSE.  443 

Guinea  Fowl ;  prolific  mules  are  constantly  occurring  between 
all  sorts  of  species  of  Geese ;  and  it  is  well  and  practically 
known,  that  though  varieties  breed  freely  with  each  other, 
nothing  is  so  difficult  as  to  establish  a  cross  that  shall  be  a 
perfect  amalgamation  of  two  distinct  varieties.  Even  indi- 
vidual peculiarities  are  reproduced  in  the  course  of  generations. 
In  truth,  species  and  varieties  differ  only  in  degree.  If  we 
admit  that  the  latter  are  merely  recent  changes  of  organization, 
we  cannot  refuse  to  allow  that  the  former  are  so  likewise  ;  and 
thence  proceeding  backwards,  we  must  apply  the  same  view 
to  genera  and  classes,  till  we  arrive  at  last  at  the  theory  of 
the  development  of  all  animated  beings  from  Monads,  as  ad- 
vocated by  Lamarck,  and  more  recently  by  the  author  of  the 
"  Vestiges  of  Creation."  This  is  one  mode  of  explaining  the 
diversity  of  Nature ;  the  other  is  by  supposing  that  animals 
were  originally  created  as  we  now  see  them,  and  that  any  ap- 
parent gaps  in  the  chain  or  network  are  caused  by  the  ex- 
tinction of  certain  races,  not  by  the  uprising  of  new  forms  into 
existence,  since  the  creation  of  Man,  at  least.  Now,  we  have 
indisputable  proof  of  the  extinction  of  very  many  genera  and 
species  of  innumerable  Pre- Adamite  animals,  (and  the  reader 
is  particularly  requested  to  observe  that  we  have  now  existing 
among  us  many  Pre- Adamite  animals* — the  Common  Badger, 

*  Remains  of  the  Aurochs  (a  species  which  still  survives  by  virtue 
of  strict  protective  laws,  in  extensive  forests,  which  form  part  of  the 
Russian  empire,)  are  found  in  the  superficial  deposits  of  various 
parts  of  Europe,  some  of  which  carry  the  antiquity  of  the  Aurochs 
as  far  back  as  the  extinct  Pachyderms  of  the  newer  pliocene  deposits. 

"  That  the  present  European  Beaver  is  not  the  degenerate  de- 
scendant of  the  great  Trogontherium,  is  proved,  not  only  by  the  dif- 
ferences in  the  dental  structure,  pointed  out  in  the  preceding  section, 
-but  likewise  by  the  fact  that  Beavers,  in  no  respect  differing  in  size 
or  anatomical  character  from  the  Castor  Europeans  of  the  present  day, 
co-existed  with  the  Trogontherium.  Remains  of  the  Beaver  have  been 


444  THE     WHITE     CHINA     GOOSE. 

for  instance,  of  older  pedigree  than  all  the  Howards  multiplied 
a  thousand-fold — and  I  feel  convinced  many  equally  ancient 
birds  also ;)  and  we  have,  besides,  records  of  modern  extermi- 
nations successively  going  on,  from  the  Christian  era  to  the 
present  day.  No  undisputed  record,  however,  is  to  be  found 
of  the  sudden  emergence  into  life  of  a  new  tribe  of  creatures. 
Foreign  introductions  there  have  been,  but  nothing  more,  that 
there  is  any  affirmative  evidence  to  prove.  I  am  conscious 
that  I  may  be  contradicted  by  such  examples  as  the  New 
Leicester  Sheep,  and  the  very  remarkable  Rabbits  that  are  now 
kept  in  a  state  of  domestication  ;  but  Mr.  Bakewell  is  as- 
serted to  have  studiously  concealed  and  destroyed  every  trace 
of  the  means  by  which  he  established  his  breed,  and  the  secrets 
of  the  Rabbit  Fancy  are  as  likely  to  be  made  available  to  the 
elucidation  of  natural  history  as  are  the  Eleusinian  Mysteries. 
But  so  long  as  our  commercial  relations  continue  as  widely  ex- 
tended as  they  are  at  present,  the  sudden  and  unexplained 
appearance  of  any  living  novelty  in  England,  is  by  no  means 
of  necessity  its  first  appearance  on  any  stage.  It  may  be  as 


thus  discovered  by  Mr.  Green  in  the  same  fossilized  condition,  and 
tinder  circumstances  indicative  of  equal  antiquity  with  the  extinct 
Mammoth,  in  the  lacustrine  formation  at  Bacton. 

"  A  fossil  skull  of  a  Badger,  in  the  Museum  of  the  Philosophical 
Institution  at  York,  would  seem  to  carry  the  antiquity  of  the  Meles 
taxus  to  a  higher  point  than  the  Cave  epoch,  and  as  far  back  as  any 
species  of  the  Ursine  genus  has  been  traced.  Should  this  specimen 
prove  authentic,  the  Meles  taxus  is  the  oldest  known  species  of  Mam- 
mal now  living  on  the  face  of  the  earth. 

"  My  friend,  Mr.  Bell,  has  pleaded  the  cause  of  the  poor  persecuted 
Badger,  on  the  ground  of  its  harmless  nature  and  innocuous  habits ; 
the  genuine  sportsman  will,  doubtless,  receive  favourably  the  addi- 
tional claim  to  his  forbearance  and  protection,  which  the  Badger  de- 
rives from  his  ancient  descent." — OWEN'S  British  Fossil  Mammals, 
passim.  ^ 


THE     WHITE     CHINA     GOOSE.  445 

old  as  the  hills — some  of  them ;  older  than  the  English  Chan- 
nel, and  have  neither  made  a  sudden  drop  from  the  clouds  in 
these  latter  days,  nor  have  been  recently  compounded,  like 
Frankenstein's  monster,  from  the  members  of  defunct  creatures, 
nor  yet  electrified  into  life  in  a  pickle  jar,  like  Mr.  Cross's 
mites.  Milton's  noble  lines  are  no  longer  applicable : — 

"  Meanwhile,  the  tepid  caves,  and  fens,  and  shores, 
Bursting  with  kindly  rupture,  forth  disclosed 
Their  callow  young  ;  but  feathered  soon  and  fledge, 
They  summed  their  pens  ;  and,  soaring  the  air  sublime, 
With  clang  despised  the  ground.  *  *  And  straight  the  earth, 
Opening  her  fertile  womb,  teemed  at  a  birth 
Numerous  living  creatures,  perfect  forms 
Limbed  and  full-grown  ;  out  of  the  ground  uprose, 
As  from  his  lair,  the  wild  beast  where  he  wons 
In  forest  wild,  in -thicket,  brake,,  or  den." 

If  such  views  be  correct,  it  will  follow  that  those  who  are 
searching  for  the  wild  originals  of  many  of  our  domestic  ani- 
mals, are  altogether  pursuing  a  wrong  scent.  They  might  just 
as  well  search  for  the  wild  original  of  the  Mammoth  or  the 
Dodo.  It  is  an  assumption,  unsupported  by  any  proof,  to  fix 
upon  the  wild  creature  that  nearest  resembles  any  given  tame 
one,  and  to  say,  "  Here  is  the  wild  original ;  the  differences 
which  we  see  have  been  produced  by  time  and  domestication  •" 
or,  if  there  is  nothing  wild  coming  within  a  moderate  approach  to 
it,  to  say,  as  of  the  Common  Goose,  "  It  is  a  combination  of  three 
or  four  other  species."  This  is  surely  not  philosophical  reason- 
ing ;  it  is  a  begging  of  the  question,  which  would  not  be  ad- 
mitted in  the  exact  sciences.  What  a  daring  leap  at  a  con- 
clusion it  is,  to  get  from  the  Asiatic  Argali,  the  American 
Argali,  or  the  Corsican  Mouflon,  any  or  all  of  them,  to  the 
Sheep,  at  a  single  vault !  Such  ratiocination  is  like  the  knight's 
move  on  the  chess-board,  hither  and  thither,  but  never  straight 
forward.  Nor  has  the  wide  gulf  between  Cocks  and  Hens  and 


446  THE     WHITE     CHINA     GOOSE. 

the  Jungle  Fowl  been  as  yet  bridged  over  by  any  isthmus  to 
me  visible.  But  what  may  be  said  on  this  latter  subject  is, 
for  the  present,  reserved.  The  principle  here  sought  to  be  in- 
dicated as  a  guide  for  future  research,  is,  that  existing  varieties 
and  species  which  cannot  be  exactly  identified  in  a  wild  state, 
are,  in  all  probability,  the  remains  of  extinct  races,  the  frag- 
ments of  a  ruin,  not  newly-raised  "  seedlings/'  modern  sports 
and  freaks  of  Nature.  Man,  as  he  extends  his  dominion  over 
earth  and  ocean,  is  generally  a  Destroyer,  occasionally  an  En- 
slaver, and  so  far  a  Protector,  hence  sometimes  even  a  Selecter 
and  Improver,  but  never  a  Creator. 

And  now  to  the  White  China  Geese,  about  whose  lineage 
the  reader,  we  hope,  is  by  this  time  interested. 

My  attention  was  first  directed  to  these  singular  birds  by 
Mr.  Alfred  Whitaker,  of  Beckington,  Somerset.  "  I  wish  you 
could  have  seen  the  white  variety  or  species,  as  it  is  so  far  su- 
perior in  every  respect  to  the  brown.  The  period  of  incubation 
of  the  White  China  Goose  was  not  more  than  thirty  days,  i.  e. 
not  longer  than  that  of  the  Common  Duck.  The  White  China 
Goose  is  of  a  spotless  pure  white" — a  very  few  gray  feathers 
have  since  appeared — "  more  swan-like  than  the  brown  variety, 
with  a  bright  orange-coloured  bill,  and  a  large  orange-coloured 
knob  at  its  base.  It  is  a  particularly  beautiful  bird,  either  in 
or  out  of  the  water,  its  neck  being  long,  slender,  and  gracefully 
arched  when  swimming.  It  breeds  three  or  four  times  in  the 
season ;  but  I  was  not  successful  with  them,  owing,  as  I  fancied, 
to  my  having  no  water  for  them,  except  a  rapid  running  stream. 
A  quiet  lake  I  believe  to  be  more  to  their  taste,  and  more  con- 
ducive to  the  fecundity  of  the  Eggs.  I  believe  my  birds  are 
still  in  the  neighbourhood,  as  I  lent  them  to  a  farmer  to  try 
his  luck  with  them.  The  Egg  is  quite  small  for  the  size  of 
the  bird,  being  not  more  than  half  the  size  of  that  of  the  Com- 
mon Goose.  This  bird  deserves  to  rank  in  the  first  class  of 
ornamental  Poultry,  and  would  be  very  prolific  under  favourable 


THE     WHITE     CHINA    GOOSE.  447 

circumstances.  You  will  see  both  varieties  of  Brown  and 
White  China  Geese  on  the  water  in  St.  James's  Park.  My 
Geese  were  from  imported  parents,  and  were  hatched  on  board 
ship  from  China." 

On  visiting  town,  in  May,  1848,  my  efforts  to  get  a  sight  of 
any  White  China  Geese  were  unavailing.  There  were  none 
left  in  St.  James's  Park ;  there  were  not  any  in  the  Surrey 
Gardens,  choice  as  that  collection  is;  nor  were  any  visible  at 
the  principal  places  where  Poultry  is  offered  for  sale.  The 
Zoological  Society  had  parted  from  their  specimens,  in  con- 
sequence of  being  overstocked  with  other  things.  Their  head 
keeper  seemed  only  to  consider  them  in  the  light  of  a  variety 
of  the  Cygnb'ides,  but  he  spoke  most  decidedly  of  his  experience 
of  the  permanence,  not  only  of  this  variety,  but  also  of  that  of 
the  dark-legged,  and  the  red-legged  sorts  of  the  brown  kind, 
thus  indicating  three  races,  which,  I  repeat,  would  be  con- 
sidered as  species  were  they  now  discovered  for  the  first  time, 
on  three  islands  even  of  the  same  group. 

From  this  difficulty  I  was  most  kindly  relieved  by  receiving 
a  pair  of  White  China  Geese,  through  Mr.  Whitaker's  means. 
They  are  larger  than  the  Brown  China  Geese,  apparently  more 
terrestial  in  their  habits ;  the  knob  on  the  head  is  not  only  of 
greater  proportions,  but  of  a  different  shape.  If  they  were 
only  what  is  commonly  meant  by  a  variety  of  the  dark  sort,  it 
is  a  question  whether  the  bill  would  not  retain  its  original 
jetty  black,  whatever  change  occurred  to  the  feet  and  legs,  in- 
stead of  assuming  a  brilliant  orange  hue.  If  the  bird  were  an 
Albino,  the  bill  would  be  flesh-coloured,  and  the  eyes  would 
be  pink,  not  blue. 

Mr,  Knight,  of  Frome,  in  whose  possession  they  had  been 
for  three  years,  states  that  he  has  been  unable  to  obtain  any 
young  from  the  Eggs  of  the  Goose ;  but  if  he -supplies  her  with 
Eggs  of  the  Common  Goose,  she  invariably  hatches  and  reara 
the  Goslings.  Separate  trials  of  each  of  the  pair  with  the 


448  THE     WHITE    CHINA     GOOSE. 

Common  Goose  and  Gander  have  been  made  by  him  unsuc- 
cessfully, although  the  White  China  Goose  lays  four  times  in 
the  year.  Another  gentleman  (N.  B.)  who  also  had  a  pair  of 
the  same  lot,  from  China,  says,  "  I  had  one  good  brood  from 
the  young  pair  which  I  kept,  but  since  that  they  have  bred  so 
badly  that  I  have  parted  with  the  females  and  kept  a  male 
bird,  and  now  get  very  good  broods.  My  friends,  to  whom  I 
have  given  young  birds  from  my  pair,  also  complain.  The 
Geese  sit  remarkably  well,  never  showing  themselves  out  of 
the  nest  by  day,  but  whether  they  may  leave  the  nests  too 
long  in  the  cold  of  the  night,  I  cannot  tell.  The  time  of  in- 
cubation I  consider  to  be  about  four  weeks  and  three  days. 
The  young  birds  of  the  crossed  breed  in  appearance  follow  the 
mother,  the  Common  English  Goose,  but  they  do  remarkably 
well ;  and  we  have  now  (July  4)  killed  two  really  good  and 
sufficiently  fat  birds,  which  were  hatched  only  on  the  29th  of 
March  last." 


449 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

THE     BERNICLE     GOOSE. 

SEVERAL  ornithological  writers  have  lamented,  with  ex- 
pressions of  surprise,  that  so  few  of  the  larger  water-birds  have 
been  domesticated,  and  made  to  afford  us  a  ready  supply  of 
food,  in  return  for  their  board  and  lodging.  But  it  should  be 
remembered  that  there  are  two  parties  to  the  proposed  arrange- 
ment— the  master  and  the  slave.  If  the  captive  resolutely 
persists  in  saying,  "  You  may  bestow  every  care  upon  me,  and 
lavish  every  comfort,  but  I  will  not  be  the  parent  of  a  race  of 
slaves,  although  I  may  show  a  little  personal  thankfulness  to 
yourself,"  the  next  move  for  us  to  make  is  to  procure  young 
that  are  ignorant  of  the  fascinations  of  a  wild  life,  and  to  en- 
deavour to  subdue,  by  kindness,  their  stubborn  nature.  If 
they  remain  indomitably  independent,  and  refuse  to  yield,  we 
are  check-mated,  and  cannot  proceed  a  step  further.  It  is  not 
in  our  power  to  increase  the  number  of  domesticable  birds. 
"The  fear  of  you  and  the  dread  of  you  shall  be  upon  every 
beast  of  the  earth,  and  upon  every  Fowl  of  the  air,  upon  all 
that  moveth  upon  the  earth/'  is  a  promise  which  will  be  un- 
doubtedly fulfilled;  and  thus,  as  the  dominion  of  Man  over  the 
earth  daily  and  hourly  extends  itself,  those  creatures  that 
refuse  to  enter  into  his  train,  will  be  crushed,  and  perish 
beneath  his  advancing  footsteps;  for,  "into  your  hand  are  they 


450  THE     BERNICLE     GOOSE. 

delivered.  Every  moving  thing  that  liveth  shall  be  meat  for 
you;  even  as  the  green  herb  have  I  given  you  all  things." 

The  Bernicle  Goose  is  one  of  those  species  in  which  the 
impulse  of  reproduction  has  at  length  overcome  the  sullenness 
of  captivity;  and  it  is  a  curious  fact,  that  instances  of  their 
breeding  have  of  late  increased  in  frequency,  and  we  may 
therefore  hope  will  go  on  increasing.  The  young  so  reared 
should  be  pinioned  at  the  wrist,  as  a  precaution.  The  proba- 
bility is,  that  they  would  stay  at  home  contentedly,  unpinioned, 
till  hard  weather  came,  when  they  would  be  tempted  to  leave 
their  usual  haunts  in  search  of  marshes,  unfrozen  springs,  mud 
banks  left  by  the  tide,  and  the  open  sea,  where  they  would  be 
liable  to  be  shot  by  sporting  naturalists — a  fate  which  has 
done  more  than  any  thing  else  to  check  the  propagation  of 
interesting  birds  in  England — or  might  be  induced  to  join  a 
flock  of  wild  birds,  instead  of  returning  to  their  former  quarters. 

Here  is  a  warning  example.  The  pinioning  of  a  brood  of 
Egyptian  Geese  had  been  delayed  too  long;  they  could  fly, 
and  though  they  came  to  be  fed  as  usual,  would  not  suffer 
themselves  to  be  caught.  In  the  winter,  during  a  hard  frost, 
they  flew  down  to  the  marshes  a  few  miles  distant.  Their 
keeper  happened  to  be  on  the  road  thither,  and  seeing  them 
in  the  air  overhead,  called  to  them  as  usual.  They  knew  his 
voice,  wheeled  about,  hovered  for  a  moment,  and  then  pursued 
their  course.  Shortly  afterwards,  they  were  shot  by  mistake 
for  wild  birds,  by  a  person  who  must  have  been  aware  that 
there  was  a  collection  of  water-fowl  in  the  neighbourhood ;  in 
which,  however,  there  are  now  only  male  Egyptian  Geese,  the 
mother  of  the  brood  having  suffered  the  same  fate.  Similar 
unfortunate  mistakes  are  frequent.  Does  the  paragraph  in  the 
local  newspaper  about  the  "rare  bird"  shot  by  so  and  so, 
esquire,  and  the  stuffed  specimen  in  the  smart  glass  case,  com- 
pensate for  the  slaughter  ? 

Broods  of  five,  six,  and  seven  Bernicle  Geese  have  been 


THE     BERNICLE     GOOSE.  451 

reared ;  not  an  inconsiderable  increase,  if  we  only  kept  them 
to  eat :  but  they  have  hitherto  been  chiefly  valued  as  em- 
bellishments to  our  ponds.  Their  small  size  renders  them 
suitable  even  for  a  very  limited  pleasure-ground,  and  they  are 
perhaps  the  very  prettiest  Geese  that  have  yet  appeared  in 
our  menageries.  The  lively  combination  of  black,  white,  gray, 
and  lavender,  gives  them  the  appearance  of  a  party  of  ladies 
robed  in  those  becoming  half-mourning  dresses,  that  are  worn 
from  etiquette  rather  than  sorrow.  The  female  differs  little 
from  the  male,  being  distinguished  by  voice  and  deportment 
more  than  by  plumage.  Their  short  bill,  moderate  sized  webs 
of  their  feet,  and  rounded  proportions,  indicate  an  affinity  to 
the  Cereopsis.  The  number  of  Eggs  laid  is  six  or  seven;  the 
time  of  incubation  about  a  month,  but  it  is  difficult  to  name 
the  exact  period,  from  the  uncertainty  of  knowing  the  precise 
hour  when  the  process  commences.  The  Geese  are  steady 
sitters.  Their  young  had  better  be  crammed  with  very  small 
pegs  for  the  first  week  or  so,  after  which  they  may  be, entirely 
confided  to  their  parents.  They  are  lively  and  active  little 
creatures,  running  hither  and  thither,  and  tugging  at  the 
blades  of  grass.  Their  ground-colour  is  of  a  dirty  white. 
Their  legs,  feet,  eyes,  and  short  stump  of  a  bill,  are  black. 
They  have  a  gray  spot  on  the  crown  of  the  head,  gray  patches 
on  the  back  and  wings,  and  a  yellowish  tinge  about  the  fore- 
part of  the  head.  The  old  birds  are  very  gentle  in  their  dis- 
position and  habits,  and  are  less  noisy  than  most  other  Geese. 
Waterton  mentions  an  instance  where  the  Gander  paired  with 
a  Canada  Goose,  a  most  disproportionately  large  mate  for  him 
to  select.  The  same  thing  has  occurred  in  Norfolk,  but  in  this 
case  the  ludicrous  union  was  altogether  unproductive. 

The  service  they  may  render  as  weed-eaters  should  not  be 
forgotten,  though  their  size  alone  precludes  any  comparison 
of  them  with  the  Swan  in  this  respect.  Sir^W.  Jardine  saya 
that  he  has  observed  their  feeding-grounds  to  be  extensive 


452  THE     BERNICLE     GOOSE. 

merses  or  flats  partially  inundated  by  the  higher  tides,  a  cir- 
cumstance that  may  furnish  a  hint  that  their  breeding  may 
perhaps  be  promoted  by  their  being  furnished  with  a  little 
sea-weed  during  winter  and  early  spring.  They  are  also  suffi- 
ciently removed  from  the  typical  Geese  to  make  it  possible 
that  a  few  cockles,  limpets,  shrimps,  or  small  mussels  would 
not  be  unwelcome.  A  single  pair  would  be  more  likely  to 
breed  than  if  they  were  congregated  in  larger  numbers :  and 
the  price  demanded  by  the  London  dealers  is  not  extravagant 
for  healthy  living  specimens. 

The  young  of  the  Bernicle  Goose,  like  those  of  the  Canada 
and  White-fronted  Geese,  when  left  entirely  to  the  guidance 
of  their  parents  in  this  country,  are  apt  to  be  attacked  by  a 
sort  of  erysipelatous  inflammation  of  the  head,  similar  to  that 
from  which  the  Domestic  Fowl  suffers  so  much,  and  which 
proves  equally  fatal.  The  eyelids  swell  till  the  bird  is  blinded; 
its  sufferings  must  be  extreme,  even  if  it  recover.  The  parts 
affected  discharge  copiously  a  watery  fluid.  Frequent  washing 
with  warm  water  and  vinegar  is  the  best  remedy,  and  cram- 
ming the  bird  to  keep  it  alive,  must  be  resorted  to.  Pills  of 
rue-leaves,  or  a  strong  decoction  of  rue,  as  a  tonic,  have  been 
administered  with  apparent  benefit.  The  disease  seems  epi- 
demic rather  than  contagious,  though  I  would  not  quite  deny 
that  it  is  so ;  but  of  all  remedies,  warmth  and  dryness,  par- 
ticularly at  night,  are  the  most  indispensable.  Goslings 
hatched  about  midsummer  in  the  Arctic  regions  know  not 
what  it  is  to  feel  the  absence  of  the  sun.  A  Scandinavian 
summer's  night,  even  in  those  latitudes  where  the  sun  does 
sink  for  an  hour  beneath  the  horizon,  differs  from  the  day  in 
little  else  than  stillness.  There  are  no  frosts  succeeding  a 
broiling  day,  no  chilling  dews  which  require  hours  of  sunshine 
to  remove,  but  all  is,  for  the  time,  perpetually  bright  and 
warm  and  genial^  The  difference  between  such  a  climate  and 
an  English  May  must  be  seriously  felt  by  our  tender  little 


THE     BRENT     GOOSE.  453 

pets,  whatever  care  we  may  take  to  protect  them.  This  clear, 
uninterrupted  day,  two  or  three  months  long,  of  settled,  de- 
licious weather,  gives  a  complete  explanation  of  the  apparent 
paradox  that  birds  should  retire  to  the  regions,  reputed  abso- 
lutely icy,  of  the  North,  for  breeding  purposes.  But  those 
who  have  made  the  precincts  of  the  Mediterranean  their 
Elysium  on  earth,  can  have  no  conception  of  the  health,  the 
vigour,  the  manly  tone  of  mind  and  body,  to  be  inspired  from 
Hyperborean  breezes. 

Oh  that  I  had  the  wings  of  a  Dove  !  then  would  I  flee 
away  with  my  little  ones  to  the  rich  pine-forests,  the  rushing 
streams,  the  deep-cut  inlets  of  the  far  North,,  and  be  at  rest, 
till  the  snow-drifts  of  October  made  us  again  retreat,  with  the 
wild-fowl,  to  the  temperate  and  hopitable  shores  of  Britain ! 


THE   BRENT   GOOSE. 

THIS,  and  the  interesting  little  Sandwich  Island  Goose,  are 
the  smallest  of  their  tribe  yet  introduced  to  our  aquatic  avia- 
ries; both  being  inferior  in  size  to-some  Ducks.  The  captive 
Brent  Goose  has  not,  that  I  am  aware,  bred  in  any  British 
collection.  According  to  Audubon,  it  has  been  known  to 
produce  young  in  captivity,  but  when,  or  where,  or  on  what 
authority,  is  not  stated.  To  attain  this  result  here,  the  most 
likely  method  is,  probably,  to  make  an  approach  to  their  na- 
tural nabits,  by  supplying  them  with  occasional  marine  diet. 
Fragments  of  shells,  that  had  apparently  been  swallowed  whole, 
have  often  been  found  in  their  gizzards.  It  might  also  be  ex- 
pedient to  assemble  them  in  a  flock,  instead  of  keeping  just  a 
single  pair,  so  that  they  could  consult  their  own  individual 
tastes  in  the  choice  of  partners.  Their  picturesque  effect,  too. 
will  be  greater  in  this  way.  Their  almost  uniform  colour  of 


454  THE    BRENT     GOOSE. 

leaden  black,  and  their  compactness  of  form,  make  them  a 
striking  feature  in  the  scene,  though  they  cannot  be  compared 
in  beauty  with  many  other  water-fowl.  They  may  always  be 
obtained  from  the  London  dealers.  There  is  so  little  difference 
in  the  sexes,  that  it  is  not  easy  to  distinguish  them.  Their 
chief  merit,  however,  rests  in  their  fondness  for  water-weeds, 
in  which  respect  they  appear  to  be  second  only  to  the  Swan. 
On  this  account,  Ware  Goose  is  one  of  their  trivial  names. 

"Brent  Geese  have  the  cunning,  in  general,  to  leave  the 
mud  as  soon  as  the  tide  flows  high  enough  to  bear  an  enemy, 
and  then  go  off  to  sea,  and  feed  on  the  drifting  weeds/' — 
Colonel  Hawker. 

"On  the  north-eastern  shores  of  England,  where  we  have 
had  opportunities  of  seeing  them,  they  might  be  considered  as 
entirely  maritime,  not  being  known  "to  leave  the  water-mark, 
or  ever  to  feed  on  the  pastures  or  young  grain.  During  ebb- 
tide, they  fed  on  the  banks  of  Zostera  Marina,  then  uncovered ; 
and  Mr.  Selby  mentions  the  ulva  latissima  as  very  frequently 
found  in  their  stomachs ;  at  other  times  they  rest  on  the  sand- 
banks, which  are  quite  open,  and  afford  no  shelter  for  ap- 
proach; or  they  ride,  as  it  were,  just  off  the  land,  buoyant 
upon  the  wave,  and  occasionally  pluck  the  sea-grass  or  weeds 
which  are  yet  borne  up  within  their  reach." — Sir  W.  Jardine. 

Brent  Geese  are  quiet,  gentle,  and  harmless  in  captivity. 
Having  eaten  only  Norfolk-killed  specimens,  I  cannot  agree 
with  those  who  praise  them  on  the  table.  They  were  fishy, 
strong,  and  oily;  but  whoever  is  not  fond  of  such  savours, 
may  convert  the  birds  into  tolerable  meat,  by  having  them 
skinned,  and  baked  in  a  pie. 

"  Immense  numbers  of  Brent  Geese,"  says  Mr.  St.  John, 
"  float  with  every  tide  into  the  bays  formed  by  the  bar.  As 
the  tide  recedes,  they  land  on  the  grass,  and  feed  in  closely- 
packed  flocks.  On  the  land,  they  are  light,  active  birds, 
walking  quickly,  and  with  a  graceful  carriage.  On  any  alarm, 


THE    BRENT     GOOSE.  455 

before  rising,  they  run  together  as  close  as  they  can ;  thus 
affording  a  good  chance  to  the  shooter,  who  may  be  concealed 
near  enough,  of  making  his  shot  tell  among  their  heads  and 
necks.  All  Geese  and  Swans  have  this  habit  of  crowding  to- 
gether when  first  alarmed. 

"  A  wounded  Brent  Goose,  which  I  brought  home,  very  soon 
"became  tame,  and  fed  fearlessly  close  to  us;  indeed,  I  have 
frequently  observed  the  same  inclination  to  tameness  in  this 
oeautrful  kind  of  Goose." 


456 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 

THE     TAME    DUCK.. 

MY  friend,  Mr.  I).  Taggart,  of  Northumberland,  writes  con- 
cerning the  Common  Duck  and  its  varieties,  as  follows: — 

"  You  wish  to  be  posted  up  in  aquatic  birds  :  I  know  some- 
what of  these,  but  probably  not  so  much  as  yourself.  In  re- 
gard to  Ducks,  they  are  much  more  prolific  than  they  usually 
have  credit  for,  and  even  for  Eggs,  can  be  made  a  profitable 
bird,  if  well  fed  and  properly  managed.  Any  Common  Duck, 
so  treated,  if  not  old,  will  yield,  in  a  season,  one  hundred  or 
more,  large,  rich,  and  delicious  Eggs.  When  they  lay,  it  is 
daily  or  nightly,  and  if  kept  from  sitting,  which  is  easily  done 
by  changing  tj^eir  nests  frequently,  they  will  lay,  with  little 
interruption,  from  February  or  March  until  August.  But  the 
trouble  is,  a  Duck  lays  only  when  Eggs  are  most  abundant, 
while  Hens'  Eggs  may  be  procured  at  all  seasons. 

"  The  young  of  Ducks  seldom  die  of  disease,  and  if  cats  and 
rats  are  exterminated,  as  in  all  cases  they  should  be,  there  will  be 
no  trouble  in  raising  almost  as  many  Ducks  as  you  have  Eggs. 
One  year,  from  94  Eggs,  I  had  91  hatched,  and  raised  87. 
Twenty-four  of  these  were  Musk,  or  Muscovy  Ducks  as  they 
are  erroneously  termed.  In  speaking  of  the  prolificness  of 
Ducks,  I  do  not  think  this  variety  should  be  included.  They 
lay  comparatively  few  Eggs.  Ducks  come  early  to  maturity, 


THE     TAME    DUCK.  457 

being  nearly  full  grown  and  in  fine  eating  order  at  three 
months  old ;  far  excelling,  in  this  respect,  all  other  Poultry, 
except  G-eese." 

Of  the  Tame  Duck,  Mr  Dixon  says  : — 

One  leading  opinion  seems  to  run  throughout  them  all,  that 
our  farm-yard  Ducks  are  nothing  more  than  the  tamed  de- 
scendants of  old  English  Mallards.  It  is  a  pity  to  disturb  so 
plausible  and  general  a  belief;  but  an  attempt  to  approximate 
to  the  solution  of  Audubon's  problem,  "  when  this  species  was 
first  domesticated/'"  has  raised  some  doubts  upon  the  subject, 
which  it  is  of  no  use  to  suppress. 

One  thing,  I  think,  may  be  demonstrated,  i.  e.  that  the  date 
of  its  first  appearance  in  domestication  on  the  European  con- 
tinent is  not  very  remote,  however  high  may  be  its  antiquity 
in  India  and  China.  In  pursuing  these  sort  of  inquiries, 
which  are  daily  becoming  more  interesting  and  more  import- 
ant in  their  conclusions,  one  regrets  that  untranslated  works  on 
natural  history  or  farming  (if  such  there  be)  in  the  Oriental 
languages,  are  sealed  records  to  almost  every  one  who  has  the 
leisure  to  make  use  of  their  contents.  It  is  extremely  pro- 
bable that  great  light  might  be  thrown  on  the  origin  and  history 
of  our  domesticated  animals  by  a  careful  inspection  of  such 
works.  As  it  is,  we  are  left  to  obtain  our  evidence  from  im- 
perfect and  (with  the  exception  of  geology)  more  recent  traces. 

If  the  Swan  and  the  Pelican  were  forbidden  to  the  Israelites, 
and  their  carcases  to  be  held  in  abomination,  (see  Leviticus 
xi.  18,)  the  Duck  would  probably  be  included  in  the  list  of 
unclean  birds ;  or,  rather,  we  may  without  violence  suppose 
that  the  Hebrew  words  translated  "Swan"  and  "Pelican," 
are  used  generically  for  all  web-footed  Fowl.  But,  as  Scotfc 
says,  "  here  the  critics  find  abundance  of  work." 

I  think  it  may  be  shown  from  negative  evidence  that  the 
Romans  at  the  time  of  our  Saviour,  and  subsequently,  were 
not  acquainted  with  the  domesticated  Duck.  I  can  find  no 

39 


458  THE     TAME    DUCK. 

passage  plainly  declaring  that  they  were,  but  many  implying 
that  they  were  not. 

Columella,  after  having  given  directions  for  the  rearing  of 
Geese,  which,  with  one  or  two  laughable  exceptions,  are  moro 
sensible  and  practical  than  are  to  be  found  in  modern  works, 
proceeds  to  offer  instructions  for  making  the  Nessotrophion,  or 
Duckery.  He  speaks  of  it  as  a  matter  of  curiosity  rather  than 
profit;  "for  Ducks,  Teal,  Mallard,  Phalerids,  and  such  like 
birds  are  fed  in  confinement."  Then  it  is  to  be  surrounded 
with  a  wall  fifteen  feet  high,  and  roofed  with  netting,  "that 
the  domestic  birds  may  have  no  power  of  flying  out,  nor  Eagles 
and  Hawks  of  flying  in."  His  mode  of  increasing  his  stock 
shows  that  Ducks  had  not  at  that  time  become  naturalized  and 
prolific  inmates  of  the  Roman  Poultry-yards.  "When  any 
one  is  desirous  of  establishing  a  Duckery,  it  is  a  very  old  mode 
to  collect  the  Eggs  of  the  above-mentioned  birds,  (such  as  Teal, 
Mallard,  &c.,)  and  to  place  them  under  common  Hens.  For 
the  young  thus  hatched  and  reared,  cast  off  their  wild  tempers, 
and  undoubtedly  breed  when  confined  in  menageries.  For  if 
it  is  your  plan  to  place  fresh-caught  birds,  that  are  accustomed 
to  a  free  mode  of  life,  in  captivity,  they  will  be  but  slow 
breeders  in  a  state  of  bondage." — Lib.  viii.  cap.  15. 

Cicero  also  speaks  of  hatching  Ducks'  Eggs  under  Hens, 
(De  Natura  Deorum ;)  but  there  is  nothing  in  the  passage 
from  which  to  infer  that  those  Ducks  were  domesticated,  but 
rather  the  contrary;  as  he  remarks  how  soon  they  abandon 
their  foster-mother  and  shift  for  themselves. 

Pliny  describes  the  flight  of  Ducks,  as  rising  immediately 
from  the  water  into  the  higher  regions  of  the  atmosphere,  (lib. 
x.  54,)  exactly  as  we  see  a  Wild  Duck  rise  now ;  a  performance 
that  would  make  our  duck-keepers  uneasy.  The  very  little 
mention  that  he  makes  of  Ducks  at  all,  shows  that  he  did  not 
habitually  see  them  in  domestication. 

From  what  JElian  says  about  Ducks,  we  may  conclude  that 


THE     TAME    DUCK.  459 

he  also  was  acquainted  with  them  in  the  wild  state  only.  His 
positive  evidence  would  not  be  worth  much,  if  the  translator 
of  Rabelais  was  justified  in  characterizing  the  "  Varia  Historia" 
as  the  production  of  "  jElian,  that  long-bow  man,  who  lies  as 
fast  as  a  dog  can  trot ;"  but  his  negative  testimony  may  prove 
something.  In  Book  v.  33,  he  describes  how  the  Ducklings, 
unable  to  fly,  and  to  escape  by  land,  avoid  the  attacks  of 
Eagles  by  diving.  Tame  Ducks  would  hardly  be  in  much 
danger  from  Eagles,  whatever  mishaps  wild  ones  might  be 
liable  to ;  although,  from  the  frequent  mention  of  these 
plunderers  in  classic  authors,  there  certainly  is  reason  to  be- 
lieve that  they  were  much  more  abundant  while  the  great 
part  of  Europe  remained  uncivilized,  than  they  are  now.  And 
in  Book  vii.  7,  after  having  given  the  signs  of  the  weather  de- 
noted by  wild  birds,  in  which  he  includes  Ducks  and  Divers, 
he  proceeds  to  mention  those  afforded  by  Cocks  and  Hens  and 
other  domestic  birds. 

Supposing  it,  however,  to  be  proved  that  the  Tame  Duck  is 
a  comparative  novelty  in  the  West,  it  by  no  means  follows 
that  it  is  so  on  the  Asiatic  Continent  and  Islands,  nor,  as  a 
corollary,  that  it  is  a  tamed  descendant  of  our  Mallard.  If 
the  skeletons  of  one  and  the  other  were  placed  side  by  side,  it 
would  require,  not  a  skilful  comparative  anatomist,  but  only 
an  observant  sportsman,  or  even  an  ordinary  cook,  to  point  out 
which  was  which.*  Nor  has  sufficient  weight  been  attached 
to  the  circumstance  of  one  bird  being  polygamous,  and  the 
other  monogamous.  When  we  come  to  speak  of  the  Domestic 
Goose,  it  will  be  seen  how  little  such  a  difference  is  likely  to 
be  the  result  of  domestication.  Let  us  not  forget,  too,  that  the 
domestication  of  wild  races  is  an  art  that  demands  quiet,  peace, 
patience,  and  superabundance,  not  merely  for  its  successful 

*  "  You  need  not  be  at  a  loss  to  know  a  wild  Duck.  The  claws  in 
the  wild  species  are  black." — COL.  HAWKER. 


460  THE    TAME     DUCK. 

issue,  but  for  its  being  exercised  at  all,  and  was  little  likely  to 
be  much  practised  by  any  European  nation,  in  the  interval  be- 
tween the  fall  of  the  Roman  Empire  and  the  present  day,  with 
a  creature  that  required  a  course  of  generations  to  reclaim  it. 
I  am  inclined,  therefore,  to  consider  our  race  of  farm-yard 
Ducks  as  an  importation,  through  whatever  channel,  from  the 
East,  and  to  point  out  the  discovery  of  the  passage  of  the  Cape 
of  Good  Hope  (1493)  as  the  approximate  date.  The  early 
voyagers  speak  of  finding  them  in  the  East  Indies  exactly 
similar  to  ours ;  and  the  transmission  of  a  few  pairs  would  be 
a  much  easier  task  than  to  subdue  the  shyness  and  wildness  of 
the  Mallard,  and  induce  an  alteration  in  its  bony  structure.  The 
admirable  reasoning  of  Professor  Owen  respecting  our  present 
domestic  Oxen,  is,  to  my  mind,  perfectly  applicable  to  the 
Tame  Duck. 

"  My  esteemed  friend,  Professor  Bell,  who  has  written  the 
'  History  of  Existing  British  Quadrupeds/  is  disposed  to  believe 
with  Cuvier  and  most  other  naturalists,  that  our  domestic 
cattle  are  the  degenerate  descendants  of  the  great  Urus.  But 
it  seems  to  me  more  probable  that  the  herds  of  the  newly- 
conquered  regions  would  be  derived  from  the  already  domes- 
ticated cattle  of  the  Roman  colonists,  of  those  l  boves  nostri/ 
for  example,  by  comparison  with  which  Caesar  endeavoured  to 
convey  to  his  countrymen  an  idea  of  the  stupendous  and 
formidable  Uri  of  the  Hercynian  forests. 

"  The  taming  of  such  a  species  would  be  a  much  more  diffi- 
cult and  less  certain  mode  of  supplying  the  exigencies  of  the 
agricultursit,  than  the  importation  of  the  breeds  of  oxen 
already  domesticated  and  in  use  by  the  founders  of  the  new 
colonies.  And,  that  the  latter  was  the  chief,  if  not  sole 
source  of  the  herds  of  England,  when  its  soil  began  to  be  cul- 
tivated under  the  Roman  sway,  is  strongly  indicated  by  the 
analogy  of  modern  colonies.  The  domestic  cattle,  for  example, 
of  the  Anglo-Americans,  have  not  been  derived  from  tamed 


THE    TAME    DUCK.  461 

descendants  of  the  original  wild  cattle  of  North  America : 
there,  on  the  contrary,  the  Bison  is  fast  disappearing  before  the 
advance  of  the  agricultural  settlers,  just  as  the  Aurochs,  and 
its  contemporary,  the  Urus,  have  given  way  before  a  similar 
progress  in  Europe.  With  regard  to  the  great  Urus,  I  believe 
that  this  progress  has  caused  its  utter  extirpation,  and  that  our 
knowledge  of  it  is  now  limited  to  deductions  from  its  fossil  or 
semi-fossil  remains." — OWEN'S  British  Fossil  Mammals,  p.  500. 
In  like  manner,  the  Mallard,  though  not  gone,  is  fast  diminish- 
ing as  a  permanent  inhabitant  of  England :  the  tame  Duck,  so 
much  larger  and  heavier,  if  its  descendant,  can  hardly  be 
called  a  degenerate  one.  The  Mallard  is  very  widely  diffused 
over  the  continental  part  both  of  the  Old  and  the  New  World, 
and  therefore  its  supposed  adaption  to  domestic  life  is  as 
likely  to  have  occurred  in  Asia  as  in  Europe.  Its  dislike  to 
salt  water  has  made  it  less  cosmopolitan  among  the  islands. 
Dampier,  in  his  Voyages,  repeatedly  mentions  that  in  the  East 
Indies  "  the  tame  Fowls  are  Ducks  and  Dunghill  Fowls,  both 
in  great  plenty ;"  he  does  not  describe  the  Ducks,  except  as 
"  the  same  with  ours."  He  was  doubtless  correct  in  believing 
them  to  be  the  same ;  although  we  know  that  the  old  travellers, 
and  many  of  the  modern  emigrants,  are  not  very  precise  in 
their  zoology,  and  indeed  might  sometimes  be  excusably  puz- 
zled. For  instance,  when  Captain  Wallis,  soon  after  he  dis- 
covered Otaheite,  saw  animals  lying  on  the  shore  with  their 
fore- feet  growing  behind  their  heads,  rising  every  now  and 
then,  and  running  a  little  way  in  an  erect  posture,  he  might 
naturally  be  moved  with  curiosity  to  inspect  them  more  closely  : 
he  afterwards  found  that  they  were  dogs,  with  their  fore-legs 
tied  behind  them,  brought  down  by  the  natives  as  a  peace- 
offering  and  a  festival  dish. 

I  know  of  no  instance  in  which  any  one  has  finally  succeeded 
in  founding  a  permanent  tame  farm-yard  race  of  Ducks,  by 
breeding  from  the  Mallard,  though  the  attempts  have  been 

39*  * 


462  THE     TAME     DUCK. 

numberless,  and  a  few  parties  have  been  on  the  very  brink  of 
success.  Crosses  between  the  Wild  and  Tame  breeds  have 
answered  better;  but  the  progeny  have  retained  their  full 
share  of  independent  temper  and  movements. 

One  of  the  most  valid  arguments  in  favour  of  the  derivation 
of  the  Tame  Duck  from  the  Mallard,  is  to  be  found  in  the 
readiness  with  which  the  former  returns  to  a  wild  or  a  half- 
wild  state.  In  Norfolk  there  is  a  breed  called  "  Marsh  Ducks," 
more  from  their  habits  and  place  of  birth  than  from  any  pe- 
culiarity of  race.  They  are  mostly  of  plumage  similar  to  the 
Mallard,  though  an  ornithologist  would  immediately  dis- 
tinguish them ;  their  size  and  the  fineness  of  their  bones  are 
intermediate  between  the  wild  bird  and  the  common  farm-yard 
Duck.  They  are  turned  out  on  the  marshes  to  forage  for 
themselves :  indeed,  it  would  be  next  to  impossible  to  keep 
them  at  home;  and  of  the  number  which  are  annually  lost  to 
their  masters,  it  would  seem  likely,  at  first  sight,  that  quite 
as  many  assume  an  independent  condition,  as  are  killed  by 
birds,  beasts,  or  men  of  prey;  but  I  doubt  the  fact,  and  they 
do  not  appear  to  be  ever  found  actually  and  entirely  wild. 
They  are  frequently  sent  to  market  towards  the  close  of  sum- 
mer, without  being  shut  up  at  all  to  fatten,  and  afford  a  cheap 
and  relishing  addition  to  the  table. 

Similar  instances  on  a  smaller  scale  are  frequent.  "A 
farmer  in  our  neighbourhood  (Wiltshire)  has  a  Duck,  of  the 
common  black  and  white  sort,  that  every  year  takes  it  into 
her  head  to  abscond  to  the  river,  where  she  lays  her  Eggs. 
She  does  not,  however,  I  believe,  pair  with  any  Wild  Drake, 
but  remains  the  whole  summer  in  a  wild  state  with  her  young 
ones,  and  then  quietly  returns  to  the  yard  in  autumn.  When 
I  have  been  taking  a  walk  sometimes  about  four  in  the  morning, 
I  have  frequently  seen  her  on  the  Down,  about  a  hundred 
yards  from  the  water.  On  being  alarmed,  they  would  all  run 
and  dart  into  the  water  with  great  rapidity :  and  this  plan  the 


THE     TAME     DUCK.  463 

old  lady  has  acted  on  for  several  years,  escaping  unscathed  by 
guns  and  dogs." — H.  IT, 

There  are  several  varieties  of  Tame  Ducks,  but  their  merits 
are  more  diverse  in  an  ornamental  than  in  a  profitable  point 
of  view,  and  will  be  estimated  very  much  according  to  the 
taste  of  individual  fanciers.  Those  who  merely  want  a  good 
supply  for  the  table,  cannot  do  better  than  just  to  adopt  the 
sort  most  common  in  their  own  vicinity.  No  country  place 
should  be  without  some,  especially  in  low  situations.  A  Drake 
and  two  or  three  Ducks  will  cost  little  to  maintain,  and  will 
do  incalculable  and  unknown  service  by  the  destruction  of 
slugs,  snails,  worms,  and  the  larvae  of  gnats,  and  other  annoy- 
ing insects.  The  only  trouble  they  will  give,  is,  that  if  there 
be  much  extent  of  water  or  shrubbery  about  their  home,  they 
will  lay  and  sit  abroad,  unless  the  poultry-maid  or  the  boy 
gets  them  up  every  night,  which  should  be  done.  Otherwise, 
they  will  drop  their  Eggs  carelessly  here  and  there,  or  incu- 
bate in  places  where  their  Eggs  will  be  sucked  by  carrion- 
crows,  and  half  their  progeny  destroyed  by  rats.  In  the 
neighbourhood  of  large  pieces  of  water,  or  wide-spreading 
marshes,  this  will  be  either  impossible,  or  attended  with  more 
waste  of  time  than  the  Ducks  are  worth.  In  which  case,  and 
indeed  in  all  cases  with  Ducks,  I  believe  the  slave-owner's 
maxim  to  be  correct,  that  it  is  cheaper  to  buy  than  to  breed. 
The  smaller  they  are  bought  in,  the  more  good  service  they 
will  perform  in  ridding  a  place  of  minute  crawling  and  creeping 
nuisances;  and  the  most  profitable  management  of  them  is  to 
let  them  gorge  all  they  can  swallow,  as  fast  as  they  can  digest 
it,  and  to  make  them  fit  for  table,  and  for  the  supply  of  ma- 
terials for  feather-beds,  at  the  earliest  possible  moment.  The 
quickest  return  will  be  the  most  remunerative. 

As  to  cooking  them,  there  is  only  one  traditional  old  English 
mode.  We  would  gladly  transfer,  as  an  illustration  to  these 
pages,  Leech's  admirable  "  Romance  of  Roast  Ducks,"  from 


464  THE     TAME     DUCK. 

1  Punch/'  June  24,  1848,  although  he  ought  to  have  made 
the  accompanying  green  peas  more  distinctly  visible. 

"Lingo. — Ah,  Cowslip,  if  you  was  a  goddess!  Jove  loved  an 
eagle ;  Mars,  a  lion ;  Phoebus,  a  cock ;  Venus,  a  pigeon ;  Minerva 
loved  an  owl. 

"  Cowslip. — I  should  not  have  thought  of  your  cock-lions,  your 
owls,  and  your  pigeons ;  if  I  was  a  goddess,  give  me  a  Roast  Duck." 

The  Agreeable  Surprise,  Act  1. 

In  the  Principality,  they  have  a  delicate  way  of  serving 
them  boiled,  with  onion  sauce.  On  attempting  to  reproduce 
the  dish  after  a  tour  in  North  Wales,  the  result  was  utter 
failure,  till  the  secret  was  discovered  that  the  Ducks  must  be 
salted  a  couple  of  days  before  being  boiled.  Still  more  hetero- 
dox fashions  have  been  practised  in  former  days. 

"The  Pottage  of  Ducks  with  Turnips,  is  made  of  Ducks 
larded,  and  half  fried  in  Lard,  or  which  have  took  three  or 
four  Turns  on  the  Spit;  then  they  are  put  in  a  Pot.  The- 
Turnips,  after  they  have  been  cut  in  Pieces,  and  floured,  are 
also  fried  in  Lard,  till  they  are  very  brown;  then  they  are 
put  in  the  same  Pot  with  the  Ducks,  and  left  to  boil  slowly 
in  Water,  till  the  Ducks  are  done.  Before  the  Pottage  is 
carried  to  Table,  it  may  be  seasoned  with  a  few  drops  of 
Verjuice." 

"To  make  a  'Ragout  of  Ducks,'  they  must  be  larded,  fried, 
very  well  seasoned  with  Salt,  Pepper,  Spices,  young  Onions, 
and  Parsley,  and  put  in  a  Pot  to  stew,  with  a  little  of  our 
best  Broth." 

*  Ducks  are  roasted  with  four  Roses  of  Lardons,  one  on 
each  Wing,  and  one  on  each  Leg :  Some  put  another  on  the 
Stomach." 

"  To  make  a  Duck  Pye,  the  Ducks  must  be  larded,  well 
seasoned,  and  the  Pye  baked  for  the  Space  of  three  Hours." — 
Dennis  de  Coetlogonys  Universal  History,  p.  827  et  scq. 

The  reader  will  take  his  choice ;  we  only  wish  him  a  good 


THE     TAME     DUCK.  465 

appetite  and  pleasant  company  ;  the  living  birds  belong  more 
properly  to  our  department. 

Of  White  Ducks,  the  best  is  the  Aylesbury,  with  its  un- 
spotted snowy  plumage  and  yellow  legs  and  feet.  It  is  large 
and  excellent  for  the  table,  but  not  larger  or  better  than  seve- 
ral others.  They  are  assiduous  mothers  and  nurses,  especially 
after  the  experience  of  two  or  three  seasons.  A  much  smaller 
race  of  White  Ducks  is  imported  from  Holland ;  their  chief  merit, 
indicated  by  the  title  of  Call  Duck,  consists  in  their  incessant 
loquacity.*  They  are  useful  only  to  the  proprietors  of  ex- 
tensive or  secluded  waters,  as  enticers  of  passing  wild  birds  to 
alight  and  join  their  society.  But  in  Norfolk,  where  the 
management  of  Decoys  is  as  well  understood  as  anywhere,  the 
trained  Decoy  Ducks  are  selected  to  resemble  the  Mallard, 
male  and  female,  as  nearly  as  possible.  Both  systems  are 
found  to  answer;  the  wild-coloured  traitors  arouse  no  sus- 
picion, while  the  conspicuous  Dutchmen  excite  fatal  attention 
and  curiosity.  When  the  newly-arrived  immigrants,  although 
bent  on  a  pleasure  excursion  from  the  north,  are  listless,  or 
suspicious  of  their  company,  and  will  not  enter  the  Decoy, 
they  may  often  be  made  to  do  so  by  the  sudden  display  of  a 
red  handkerchief,  or  the  rapid  appearance  and  disappearance 

*  "The  chief  point  to  be  attended  to  in  England,  is  to  get,  if  pos- 
sible, some  young  wild  Ducks  bred  up  and  pinioned.  Or,  by  way 
of  a  make-shift,  to  select  tame  birds  which  are  the  most  clamorous, 
even  if  their  colour  should  not  be  like  the  wild  ones.  But  in  France 
you  have  seldom  any  trouble  to  do  this,  as  the  Ducks  used  in  that 
country  are  partly  of  the  wild  breed ;  and  three  French  Ducks,  like 
three  Frenchmen,  will  make  about  as  much  noise  as  a  dozen  English. 
The  Italians,  in  order  to  make  their  call-birds  noisy,  for  a  '  roccalo,' 
burn  out  their  eyes  with  a  hot  needle,  a  practice  at  which  I  am  sure 
my  English  readers  would  shudder ;  though  the  translation  of  what 
they  say  in  Italy  is,  that  <  these  are  the  happiest  birds  in  the  world , 
always  singing.'" — Colonel  Hawker's  Instructions,  p.  367. 


466  THE     TAME     DUCK. 

of  a  Spaniel.  The  White  Call  Duck  has  a  yellow-orange  bill, 
that  of  the  Aylesbury  should  be  flesh-coloured. 

There  is  also  the  White  Hook-billed  Duck,  with  a  bill 
monstrously  curved  downwards,  not  upwards,  as  some  writers 
have  it,  but  Roman-nosed  Ducks  in  short,  with  features  like 
Cruikshank's  Jews,  of  a  most  grotesque  and  ludicrous  appear- 
ance. It  may  be  superfluous  to  remind  the  reader,  that  White 
Ducks  make  but  a  sorry  figure  in  towns  or  dirty  suburbs,  or 
anywhere  that  the  means  of  washing  themselves  are  scanty. 
But  Hook-billed  Ducks  are  nothing  new.  Albin,  in  1738, 
published  coloured  figures  of  both  sexes,  which  look  much  as 
if  they  had  a  right  to  claim  the  rank  of  a  species.  The  lines 
of  small  white  specks  on  the  head,  as  he  describes  them,  are 
remarkable.  The  bill  has  some  resemblance  in  its  curvature 
to  that  of  the  Flamingo.  He  says,  "  These  Ducks  are  better 
layers  than  any  of  the  other,  either  wild  or  tame." 

The  cottagers  living  on  the  northern  coast  of  Norfolk,  have 
one  or  two  varieties  that  are  very  pretty,  and  are  not  usual, — 
one  of  a  slate-gray  or  bluish  dun,  another  of  a  sandy  yellow; 
there  are  some  also  with  top-knots*  which  rival  the  Hook- 
billed  Duck  in  oddity. 

Of  mottled  and  pied  sorts  there  exist  a  great  variety ;  black 
and  white,  brown  and  white,  lightly  speckled,  and  many  other 
mixtures.  The  Rouen  Duck  of  Poultry-books  can  hardly  be 
separated  from  this  miscellaneous  rabble,  and  ought  to  be  per- 
mitted to  return  to  its  original  obscurity  in  the  multitude.  It 
is  wrong  to  lead  people  to  pay  high  prices  for  them  as  stock ; 
and  we  are  quite  at  a  loss  to  discover  in  them  any  unusual 
merit  or  other  describable  peculiarity.  They  appear  to  be 


*  "  Some  of  the  tufted  tame  Ducks,  near  Salisbury,  are  very  hand- 
some, having  crests  as  compact  and  spherical  as  any  Polish  Fowl ; 
but  whether  this  is,  or  was,  any  distinct  variety,  I  will  not  under- 
take to  say."— H  H. 


THE     TAME     DUCK.  467 

identical  with  the  commonest  Ducks  which  we  have  every- 
where. The  "Rouen,"  likewise  " Rhone"  Duck,  is  also 
written  "  Rohan."  I  believe  neither  term  to  be  correct,  in 
point  of  fact :  that  is,  not  exclusively  :  i.  e.  Rouen  Ducks  are 
to  be  found  wherever  there  are  Tame  Ducks.  The  words  are 
similar  in  sound,  but  the  two  first  are  taken  from  localities, 
the  last  from  the  name  of  a  distinguished  family,  one  member 
of  which,  the  Cardinal  de  Rohan,  was  strangely  implicated  in 
the  diamond-necklace  affair  that  caused  such  distress  to  Marie 
Antoinette.  But  we  might  just  as  well  call  them  "  London" 
or  "Thames"  Ducks,  or  "Mr.  Smith's"  Ducks.  It  would 
puzzle  most  people  to  point  out  in  what  they  differ  from  the 
e  very-day  brown,  or  brown  and  white,  farm-yard  Duck.  We 
should  be  told  they  were^/wer,  a  better  sort,  &c.  An  inquiry 
of  some  of,  not  all*  the  Dealers,  for  the  authority  on  which  the 
name  was  given,  would  probably  be  met  by  silence,  or  by  anger 
at  the  public  being  told  that  birds,  for  which  tliey  charge  six, 
eight,  or  ten  shillings,  may  be  had  of  any  country  higgler  for 
Is.  6d.  I  am  even  uncharitable  enough  to  suspect  that  in- 
correct names  are  purposely  given  to  unusual  varieties,  by  a 
few  poultry-merchants,  in  order  to  conceal  the  source  from 
whence  they  were  originally  derived.  My  notion  that  the  title 
Rouen  and  its  aliases  is  only  a  trade  name,  intended  to  elevate 
the  common  sort  into  a  choice  and  more  marketable  variety, 
is  confirmed  by  the  omission  of  such  a  designation  by  Aldro- 
vandi,  and  later  by  Buffon;  both  writers  who  swept  every 
thing  into  their  net.  Penguin  Ducks  are  nearly  as  strange  as 


*  I  beg  to  acknowledge  the  gentlemanly  and  ready  manner  in 
which  Mr.  John  Baily,  of  Mount  Street,  Grosvenor  Square,  has  ex- 
pressed his  willingness  to  impart  information  on  a  subject  on  which 
he  is  so  well  conversant.  He  is  able  and  trustworthy  to  execute 
orders  for  choice  specimens  of  Poultry,  and  I  should  certainly  apply 
to  him,  did  I  want  any  select  Fowls  to  be  procured. 


468  THE     TAME     DUCK. 

the  Hook-billed.  Their  peculiarity  consists  in  walking  up- 
rightly, in  feeble  imitation  of  a  Penguin.  But  it  is  not 
strikingly  apparent  when  they  are  in  an  ordinary  frame  of 
mind.  A  sudden  fright  makes  them  raise  their  heads,  as  it 
will  many  other  birds. 

A  variety  not  usually  met  with,  but  which  deserves  to  be 
better  known,  is  that  advertised  by  the  Messrs.  Baker  as  the 
Labrador  Duck ;  the  Zoological  Society  have  had  it  under  the 
name  of  Buenos  Ayres  Duck,  and  received  it  from  that  place ; 
in  the  south  of  England  it  is  known  as  the  Black  East  Indian 
Duck.  It  would  be  difficult  to  fix  upon  three  more  dissimilar 
and  widely-separated  spots  on  the  face  of  the  globe.  We  may 
at  once  discard  the  claim  of  Labrador,  however  rich  in  wild 
specimens,  to  the  honour  of  sending  any  new  tame  variety  of 
bird.  Believing  that  our  Tame  Ducks  are  all  importations 
from  the  East,  I  should  give  the  preference  to  the  Indian  title. 
Nothing  is  more  probable  than  that  the  Zoological  Society  had 
their  birds  from  the  East,  via  Buenos  Ayres.  Whether  the 
stock  had  been  introduced  there  a  month,  or  twenty  years  pre- 
viously, does  not  alter  the  main  fact ;  while  ships  direct  from 
India  would  be  very  likely  to  land  a  few  pairs  at  the  first 
Channel  port  they  touched  at. 

By  some  country  dealers  they  are  styled  Beaver  Ducks,  in 
allusion,  perhaps,  to  a  black  beaver  hat.  These  persons  es- 
teem them  highly,  and  usually  send  them  to  London  alive, 
where,  if  good  specimens,  they  are  eventually  disposed  of  to 
amateurs  at  the  rate  of  eight  or  ten  shillings  each. 

But  from  whatever  quarter  obtained,  they  are  handsome 
creatures.  A  little  girl,  at  her  first  sight  of  them,  could  not 
help  exclaiming — "Oh!  what  beautiful  golden-green  Ducks!" 
The  feet,  legs,  and  entire  plumage,  should  be  black;  a  few 
white  feathers  will  occasionally  appear;  but  I  had  some  birds 
that  were  immaculate,  and  such  should  be  the  model  of  the 
breeder.  The  bill  also  is  black,  with  a  slight  under-tinge  of 


THE     TAME     DUCK.  469 

green.  Not  only  the  neck  and  back,  but  the  larger  feathers 
of  the  tail  and  wings  are  gilt  with  metallic  green  ;  the  female 
also  exhibits  slight  traces  of  the  same  decoration.  On  a  sun- 
shiny day  of  spring,  the  effect  of  these  glittering  Black  Ducks 
sporting  on  the  blue  water  is  very  pleasing,  especially  if  in 
company  with  a  party  of  the  Decoy  breed  in  strictly  Mallard 
plumage. 

A  peculiarity  of  these  Black  East  Indian  Ducks  is,  that  they 
occasionally — that  is,  at  the  commencement  of  the  season — lay 
black  Eggs;  the  colour  of  those  subsequently  laid,  gradually 
fades  to  that  of  the  common  kinds.  This  strange  appearance 
is  not  caused  by  any  internal  stain  penetrating  the  whole 
thickness  of  the  shell,  but  by  an  oily  pigment,  which  may  be 
scraped  off  with  the  nail.  They  lay,  perhaps,  a  little  later 
than  other  ducks,  but  are  not  more  difficult  to  rear.  Their 
voice  is  said  to  differ  slightly — a  fact  I  have  not  observed :  but 
they  are  far  superior  to  others  in  having  a  high  wild-duck 
flavour,  and,  if  well  kept,  are  in  just  repute  as  being  excellent 
food  when  killed  immediately  from  the  pond,  without  any 
fatting.  My  attention  was  first  called  to  them  by  a  friend  and 
neighbour,  to  whom  I  am  indebted,  not  only  for  the  informa- 
tion, but  for  handsome  specimens. 

The  time  of  incubation  of  the  Tame  Duck  is  thirty  days.* 

*  Does  the  Mallard  differ  in  this  respect  from  the  Tame  Duck  ?  I 
think  not.  But,  according  to  Audubon,  "at  length,  in  about  three 
weeks,  the  young  (of  the  former)  begin  to  cheep  in  the  shell."  Did 
we  not  know  his  usual  great  accuracy,  we  should  suspect  some  error, 
and  also  be  startled  at  the  subjoined  statement.  "  The  squatters  of 
the  Mississippi  raise  a  considerable  number  of  Mallards,  which  they 
catch  when  quite  young,  and  which,  after  the  first  year,  are  as  tame 
as  they  can  wish.  These  birds  raise  broods  which  are  superior  even  to 
those  of  the  old  ones,  for  a  year  or  two,  after  which  they  become  similar  to 
the  ordinary  Ducks  of  the  poultry-yard.  The  hybrids  produced  be- 
tween the  Mallard  and  the  Muscovy  Duck  are  of  great  size,  and  af- 

40 


470  THE    TAME     DUCK. 

The  best  mode  of  rearing  them  depends  very  much  upon  the 
situation  in  which  they  are  hatched.*  For  the  first  month, 
the  confinement  of  their  mother  under  a  coop  is  better  than 
too  much  liberty.  All  kinds  of  sopped  food,  barley  meal,  and 
water  mixed  thin,  worms,  &c.,  suit  them.  No  people  are  more 
successful  than  cottagers,  who  keep  them,  for  the  first  period 
of  their  existence,  in  pens  two  or  three  yards  square,  cramming 
them  night  and  morning  with  long  dried  pellets  of  flour  and 
water,  or  egg  and  flour,  till  they  are  judged  old  enough  to  be 
turned  out  with  their  mother  to  forage  on  the  common  and  the 
village  pond.  Persons  with  extensive  occupations,  over  which 
the  Ducks  would  stray  and  be  lost,  will  find  it  better  answer 
their  purpose  to  buy  in  their  main  supply  of  Ducks  half-grown, 
than  to  rear  them,  besides  having  the  satisfaction  of  putting  a 
few  shillings  into  the  pockets  of  their  poorer  neighbours.  A 
few  choice  old  favourites  may  still  be  retained  for  their  services 
as  grub-destroyers,  for  the  beauty  of  their  plumage,  and  for 
the  pleasure  of  seeing  them  swim  their  minuets  in  the  pond, 
bowing  politely  to  each  other — the  bows  to  be  returned — be- 
fore they  take  their  afternoon's  doze  on  the  grass,  with  their 
sleepy  eyelids  winking  from  below,  and  their  bills  stuck  under 
the  feathers  of  their  back,  by  way  of  a  respirator.  The  healthy 
heartiness  of  their  appetite  is  amusing  rather  than  disgusting. 
A  cunning  old  Duck,  to  whom  I  tossed  a  trap-killed  mouse, 
tried  hard  to  get  it  down  in  the  rough  state,  but  finding  that 
impossible,  she  toddled  off  with  it  to  the  pond,  where,  after  a 

ford  excellent  eating.  Some  of  these  half-breeds  now  and  then  wander 
off,  become  quite  wild,  and  have  by  some  persons  been  considered  as  forming 
a  distinct  species.  They  also  breed,  when  tame,  with  the  Black  Duck 
(Anas  Fusca]  and  the  Gadwal  the  latter  connection  giving  rise  to  a 
very  handsome  hybrid,  retaining  the  yellow  feet  and  barred  plumage 
of  the  one,  and  the  green  head  of  the  other  parent." 

*  According  to  Pallas,  in  the  Crimea,  the  tame  Duck  is  reared  with 
difficulty. 


THETAMEDUCK.  471 

due  soaking,  the  monstrous  mouthful  easily  slipped  down. 
They  are  cheerful,  harmless,  good-natured,  cleanly  creatures. 
As  Audubon  says,  "  They  wash  themselves,  and  arrange  their 
dress,  before  commencing  their  meal ;  and  in  this,  other  tra- 
vellers (in  America  particularly)  would  do  well  to  imitate 
them." 

In  rearing  Ducklings,  it  is  usual,  in  the  first  place,  to  dip 
their  feet  in  water  as  soon  as  hatched,  and  then  to  clip  the 
down  on  their  tails  close  with  a  pair  of  scissors,  to  prevent 
their  becoming  drabbled  and  water-logged;  and  before  their 
introduction  to  the  pond,  it  is  thought  advisable,  by  many 
good  housewives,  to  let  them  have  a  private  swim  or  two  in 
a  small  pan  of  water,  to  try  their  strength  and  practise  their 
webbed  feet  before  venturing  upon  a  larger  space. 

A  few  original  notes  on  the  Mallard  will  not  be  out  of  place 
here,  though  the  facts  they  record  show  that  the  Teal  and  such- 
like water  cage-birds  have  a  truer  claim  upon  them;  if  disposi- 
tion and  habits  are  to  guide  our  arrangement. 

"I  have  seen  enough  of  the  Mallard  of  England,  and  his 
untrustworthy  progeny,  to  make  me  doubt  of  his  being  the 
origin  of  our  Farm  Duck.  That  the  Mallard  is  becoming  less 
frequent  every  year  in  our  vicinity  is  true,  but  we  have  at- 
tributed it  chiefly  to  the  exertions  of  unbidden  would-be 
sportsmen  on  our  river.  We  still,  however,  have  them  in  cer- 
tain places  in  tolerable  abundance.  They  are  fond  of  frequent- 
ing the  furze  and  heath  on  our  downs  in  spring,  and  sometimes 
breed  there,  but  oftener  in  willow-beds  and  the  thick  grass  in 
our  meadows,  whence  I  have  often  had  Eggs  brought  me,  and 
set  under  Hens.  These  generally  hatch  well,  if  the  Hen's 
breast  be  dipped  in  water  a  few  times  during  incubation. 
There  is  a  decided  gain  as  to  docility  in  Ducks  hatched  in 
this  way,  over  those  caught  on  the  river,  even  if  only  a  single 
day  old.  Young  Wild  Ducks  are  certainly  some  of  the  most 
cunning  and  slippery  little  creatures  extant,  and  the  best 


472  THE     TAME     DUCK. 

way  is  to  commence  handling  them  as  soon  as  hatched,  by 
which  means,  and  by  confining  them  for  some  time  within  an 
enclosed  place,  they  soon  become  more  reasonable.  In  every 
case,  I  have  not  been  able  to  trust  them  until  the  feathers  be- 
gan to  appear;  but  in  several  seasons  that  I  have  reared  them, 
they  have  been  so  distrustful,  that  it  was  not  safe  to  allow  them 
liberty,  and  as  soon  as  ever  their  wings  were  grown,  they  were 
bff.  On  one  occasion,  I  had  two  of  these  birds,  about  a  quar- 
ter grown,  that  grew  exceedingly  slowly :  they  were  very  wild, 
and  one  night  made  their  escape  to  the  river,  where  they  re- 
mained until  the  evening  of.  the  following  day,  when  they 
were  retaken.  If  I  had  not  previously  marked  them,  nobody 
should  ever  have  persuaded  me  that  they  were  the  same.  I 
could  not  have  conceived  that  less  than  twenty-four  hours'  im- 
mersion in  the  river  could  have  caused  the  growth  it  did :  but 
so  it  was.  Another  time,  I  succeeded  in  making  a  couple  so 
gentle  and  sociable,  that  when  half-grown,  they  would  follow 
ine,  and  eat  out  of  my  hand.  Soaked  bread  they  are  very  fond  of 
when  young;  afterwards  corn,  &c.:  the  seed-tufts  of  the  sedge 
are  a  great  treat,  when  soaked  in  their  water.  The  two  birds 
above  mentioned  were  both  ladies,  and,  while  I  was  trying  to 
procure  a  drake,  (no  easy  matter,)  they  vanished,  about  the  end 
of  November,  being  probably  whipped  up  when  out  in  an  ad- 
joining road.  One  year  I  lost  a  fine  brood  by  turning  them 
into  an  exquisite  little  pond  (as  we  thought)  that  had  been 
lined  with  lime,  whereby  they  became  immovably  stuck  at 
the  sides,  and  perished.  Another  time,  in  our  great  kindness, 
we  procured  some  river  weeds,  water-crowfoot,  &c.,  and 
placed  them  in  their  pond,  forgetting  it  was  not  a  running 
water.  The  poor  little  things  became  apparently  tipsy, 
rolling  and  turning  about  in  all  directions  and  speedily  com- 
ing to  an  end.  One  set  of  docile  creatures  I  succeeded  in 
rearing,  turned  out  to  be  four  Drakes;  and  so,  for  one  reason 
or  another,  none  have  remained  over  the  winter — the  more  to 


THE     TAME    DUCK.  473 

be  regretted,  as  I  wished  to  verify  Waterton's  account  of  the 
wonderful  changes  in  dress  the  Drake  undergoes  in  June  and 
July,  the  oddest  part  of  which  is,  that  immediately  on  the 
completion  of  the  bird's  sober  change  of  raiment,  he  begins 
to  shed  those  feathers  again,  to  make  room  for  his  gala  dress. 

"One  cause  of  the  diminution  of  numbers  in  the  Mallard 
here,  is  a  Fox-preserver  about  half  a  dozen  miles  off.  These 
vermin  seem  to  be  fonder  of  Ducks  than  any  thing  else,  and 
the  Ducks  are  preserved  for  them  !  How  they  catch  them  has 
always  been  rather  a  mystery  to  me,  but  it  must  be  by  lying 
perdu  in  the  sedge  for  them.  This,  however,  would  seem  to 
be  but  a  poor  chance. 

"  Wild  Ducks,  rendered  tame  and  corn-fed,  are  certainly 
superior  to  any,  having  the  fine  wild  flavour,  without  its  fishi- 
ness.  Beech  mast  are  a  good  occasional  diet  for  Wild  Ducks, 
if  thrown  into  their  piece  of  water; 

"This  season  (1849)  I  have  been  particularly  successful 
in  rearing  the  Mallard  in  a  state  of  domestication.  Three 
different  sets  of  Eggs,  from  five  to  nine  in  number,  were 
brought  in  by  our  mowers,  and  the  greater  part  hatched  under 
Hens.  The  Ducklings  were  shy  at  coming  out,  but  as  soon 
as  their  first  feathers  began  to  appear,  they  would  eat  from 
my  hand,  and  follow  me  eagerly  about  the  garden,  if  they 
saw  me  with  a  spade ;  seeming  to  understand  that  they  were 
about  to  enjoy  their  grand  treat  of  worms.  Small  frogs  also 
did  not  come  amiss,  which  they  gulped  down,  regardless  of 
the  cries  of  the  poor  creatures.  I  noticed  that,  after  they  at- 
tained their  quill-feathers,  though  not  previously,  they  began 
to  eat  grass  with  avidity.  Odd  scraps  at  first,  and  soaked 
corn  and  dry  rice  afterwards,  formed  their  chief  food;  and 
this  diet,  I  think,  made  them  mild  and  agreeable  ultimately 
for  the  table.  Out  of  many  I  reared,  there  were  only  two 
females — one  of  which  had  a  singular  habit  of  attacking  me 
with  great  spirit  and  much  quacking,  if  I  attempted  the  cap- 

40* 


474  THE     TAME     DUCK. 

ture  of  either  of  her  gentlemen  friends.  In  domestic  Fowls 
this  trait  is  often  observed,  but  I  was  not  prepared  to  find  an  in- 
stance of  it  in  an  unreclaimed  bird  a  great  deal  too  young  to 
possess  any  maternal  impulse. 


INDEX. 


AYLESBURY  DUCK— The  best  kind  of. Page  465 

The  WHITE  CALL  DUCK 465 

The  WHITE  HOOK-BILLED  DUCK. — The  ROUEN  DUCK 466 

BERNICLE  GOOSE — Becoming  more  and  more  productive  in 

captivity 450 

Where  to  be  pinioned — May  be  delayed  too  long 450 

Description  of  the  Bernicle  Goose — -Number  of  Eggs  laid 451 

Young  liable  to  a  certain  disease 452 

BLACK  SPANISH  FOWL— A  distinct  variety 204 

Weight  of,  atmaturity — Mr.  Blake's  Black  Spanish 204 

Laying  qualities,  etc 205 

Mr.  Dixon's  account  of  them 206 

Neither  good  sitters  nor  mothers 207 

Young  Chick's  appearance,  etc 208 

Varieties  of  Spanish  Fowls 209 

Cross  with  Pheasant-Malay 211 

Precociousness  of 212 

BREMEN  GOOSE— Origin  of  the  name 429 

Colour  of  plumage,  bill,  feet,  and  legs 430 

Laying,  and  weight  of — Quality  of  flesh  of. 431 

Season  of  laying — Method  of  preventing  unseasonable  laying.  432 

Period  of  incubation 433 

Method  of  hatching  and  feeding  the  Young 433 

Average  weight  at  seven  or  eight  months  old. 434 

Breeding  boxes — Name  of  this  variety  in  England 434 

BRENT  GOOSE— The  smallest  of  the  tribe 453 

Has  not  bred  in  captivity  in  any  British  collection 453 

Where  they  may  be  obtained — Not  easy  to  distinguish  the  sex.  454 

Not  good  for  the  table 454 

475 


476  INDEX. 

CHICKENS,  or  CHICKS— How  Mr.  Devereux  rears  them  with- 
out a  mother P  329 

Proper  Coop  for — Importance  of  Early  Chickens 330 

Mr.  Cope's  mode  of  rearing  them 331 

Col.  Jaques  Chicken  Coop 329 

CHITTAGONG  FOWL 2G7 

Various  names  of — Found  generally  crossed 270 

General  characteristics  of. 270 

Mr.  Taggart's  appreciation  of. 271 

COCHIN  CHINA  FOWL 143 

Little  known  of  the  origin  of  the  Queen's  Cochins 144 

Character  of  the  Egg 144 

Mr  Nolan's  description  of  the  Cochin  China  Fowl 144 

The  Editor's  importation  of  Cochins 145 

Mr.  Burnham's  importation — His  description  of 14G 

The  Shanghaes  from  the  same  stock 148 

What  Mr.  Burnham  was  offered  for  choice  specimens 149 

Notices  of  his  stock 150 

Mr.  Dixon  regards  the  Shanghaes  and  Cochins  as  identical 150 

See  Mr.  D.'sletter  on  page 151 

Mr.  Dixon's  estimate  and  description  of  Cochins 152 

List  of  the  weight  of  various  Fowls,  Cochins  included 153 

Cochin  China  Fowls  frequently  feathered  down  the  legs 156 

White  ear-lobes  not  necessary  to  purity 157 

Weight  and  characteristics  of  the  Eggs  of  Cochins 158 

DISEASES  AND  REMEDIES  OF  FOWLS 84 

The  Hour,  and  its  treatment — Surgical  cases 85 

The  GAPES — its  treatment 87 

How  to  remove  the  fasdolce 89 

VERMIN,  how  to  remove 91 

Startling  facts  concerning  parasitic  insects 93 

Two  important  letters  from  D.  Taggart,  Esq,  on  the  manage- 
ment, etc.,  of  Poultry 96 

LICE,  how  to  remove  and  destroy — Arrangements  for  laying...     97 

Best  destroyer  of  vermin 99 

DOMESTIC  FOWL — Antiquity  of  the  keeping  of. 25 

Aristotle  familiar  with 27 

The  reputed  wild  originals  of  the  Domestic  Fowl,  doubtful 28 

Head  quarters  of  the 38 

Unknown  to  the  Icelanders 41 


INDEX.  477 

DOMESTIC  FOWL— Found  in  the  Islands  of  the  Pacific P.  41 

List  of  the  physical  uses  of  a  Hen  and  its  parts 44 

Courage  and  demeanour  of  the  Domestic  Cock 47 

The  Hen  a  pattern  of  maternal  love 49 

Permanent  character  of  the  different  varieties 50 

Experiments  in  crossing 51 

The  Dominique  variety 328 

Various  kinds  not  particularly  described 329 

DOMESTIC  GOOSE— Longevity  of 416 

Proper  breeding  age  of — How  many  Geese  to  one  Gander 416 

How  the  male  bird  may  be  known 416 

At  what  age  they  may  be  killed 4.17 

The  season  of  laying — Period  of  incubation 417 

How  the  young  should  be  fed 418 

Columella's  directions  for  rearing 418 

How  to  be  slaughtered 419 

DUNGHILL  FOWL— How  characterized 327 

Marks  of  the  best  variety '. 328 

GAME  FOWL— Portrait  of  Mr.  Wistar's 214 

Qualities  of — An  account  of  Cocking 214 

Exterior  Qualifications  of  a  Cock 216 

The  Cock  Pit 217 

The  Fight ;..  220 

Mr.  Dixon's  description  of  the  Game  Cock 222 

Temperament  of  the  Game  Cock 224 

Effects  of  Cock  Fighting,  (note) 228 

Cocks  of  the  same  colour  not  matched 231 

Malays  fond  of  Cock-Fighting 232 

Two  Varieties  of  Game  Fowl — Their  Eggs  and  Chicks 235 

Which  are  called  Piles— The  Furness  Variety 237 

White     do.         .do      238 

The  Earl  of  Derby's 238 

Management  of. 240 

Mexican  Cock-Fighting 243 

The  Mexican  Hen-Cock  Game  Fowl 246 

Account  of  Mr.  Taggart's  Hen-Cock  Game  Fowl 247 

Dr.  Bennett's  account  of  the  Yankee  Game  Fowl 250 

Isaac  O'Sanner's  Game  Chickens 264 

S.  Rusk's  Game  Fowl : 267 

GOOSE— The  Bernicle 449 


478  INDEX. 

GUINEA  FOWL— Period  ofincubation— Appropriate  food  of.. .P.  374 

The  way  to  feed  the  young 375 

Prolificness  of— Native  country  of 377 

Varieties  of 378 

HONG  KONG,  or  CHINA  GOOSE— Multitude  of  names  for 420 

Description  of. 421 

The  habitat  of—  Number  of  Eggs  laid  by 422 

Worst  flyer  of  all  Geese 423 

Period  ofincubation 424 

Habit  on  leaving  her  nest 425 

Eggs  hatched  out  by  a  husband  and  wife 425 

Colour  of  China  Goose 425 

Most  noisy  of  all  Geese 42G 

Age  of  maturity — Advantage  of  a  cross  with  common  Goose...  427 

JAVA  FOWL — Not  known  to  exist  here  in  its  purity 272 

Fowls  on  Long  Island  of  this  name 272 

Description  of 272 

JERSEY-BLUE  FOWL— A  mongrel 273 

Characteristics  and  weightof. 271 

MALAY  FOWL— Mr.  E.  R.  Cope's  opinion  of. 133 

Description  of 133 

The  habitat  of  the  Malay  Fowl 160 

Height,  weight,  and  general  characters  of 160 

Mr  Cope's  importation  of  Malays 163 

Description  of  the  Malay  Fowl  extracted  from  the  Penny  Cy- 
clopedia   163 

Mr.  Baker's  description  of  one — Malay  Hen 164 

Singular  habit  of  this  breed 166 

Black  Malays 169 

PEA  FOWL— Description  of— Destructiveness  of. 345 

Her  age  when  she  begins  to  lay 348 

Pied  variety— White  variety 349 

PHEASANT— The  Ring-necked 851 

Proper  food  for 353 

Difficulty  of  crossing  with  Domestic  Fowls 353 

The  Common  will  breed  with  the  Ring-necked  variety 354 

Period  of  incubation 354 

REARING    AND    MANAGEMENT    OF    FOWLS— Its  profita- 
bleness  .* 59 

Two  classes  of  Fowl-breeders 60 


^  INDEX.  479 

REARING  OF  FOWLS— The  greatest  gainers,  the  dealers P.  61 

Amount  of  Eggs  in  the  United  States 61 

How  amateurs  of  Fowls  should  begin  to  keep  them 61 

Proper  kind  of  house 61 

Proper  kind  of  nests 63 

How  the  Fowl-house  should  be  kept 64 

How  to  treat  a  Hen  when  she  wants  to  sit 66 

Period  of  Incubation 67 

What  to  be  done  at  the  end  of  incubation 69 

What  to  be  done  when  the  Chicks  are  hatched  out 72 

Chicks  may  be  reared  without  a  mother 74 

Dutch  mode  of  fattening  Fowls 75 

Various  modes  of  cooking  Poultry 77 

How  to  procure  the  greatest  number  of  Eggs 79 

Jalap  as  a  medicine  for  Fowls — Dose  of — Relation  of  salt  to 81 

Importance  of  lime  for 82' 

How  Fowl-houses  should  be  situated 83 

How  to  obtain  male  or  female  Chicks 83 

SHAKEBAG  FOWL— History  of 272 

Supposed  to  be  now  extinct 273 

SHANGHAE  FOWL 132 

Mr.  E.  R.  Cope's  opinion  of 133 

Rev.  Mr.  Bumstead's  Shanghaes 134 

Their  laying  qualities 135 

The  Red  Shanghae 136 

Dr.  Eben  Wight's  White  Shanghaes — Descriptions  of 139 

Habits  and  dispositions  of. 140 

Thriftiness  in  this  climate 141 

SWAN,  BLACK— Its  habits— Where  originally  found 382 

How  to  distinguish  the  sex  of 384 

How  to  pinion  the • 385 

Way  to  feed  the 386 

Period  of  incubation - 392 

The  way  to  fatten— Weight  of. 394 

Mode  of  cooking < 395 

SWAN,  MUTE 379 

Habits  of. 385 

The  Hooper,  the  Polish,  and  Berwick 382 

TAME  DUCK — Mr.  Taggart's  opinion  of  the  common  Duck 456 

Number  of  Eggs  laid  in  a  season 456 


480  INDEX. 

TAME  DUCK— Young  very  healthy  and  easily  reared P.  456 

The  Musk  Duck  is  not  so  prolific 456 

Mr.  Dixon's  account  of  the  Tame  Duck 457 

Various  modes  of  cooking  Ducks 463 

Native  country  of. 468 

Black  Indian  Ducks — Their  peculiarity 469 

Period  of  incubation  of  the  Tame  Duck 469 

The  Mallard  does  not  differ  in  this  respect 469 

Best  mode  of  rearing 470 

Some  account  of  the  Mallard  Duck 471 

How  a  Hen  must  be  treated  while  sitting  on  Ducks'  Eggs 471 

TURKEY— When  introduced  into  England— Varieties  of. 361 

The  best  kind 363 

Crested 365 

When  full  grown 366 

Period  of  incubation 368 

Proper  food  for  the  young — Diseases  of  the  young 370 

"Shooting  the  red." 4 370 

WHITE-FRONTED  GOOSE— First  impression  on  seeing 437 

Eggs  of— Qualities  of  this  variety 439 

They  pair  like  Pigeons 440 

WHITE  CHINA  GOOSE 440 

Meaning  of  genus,  species,  and  variety,  etc 442 

Existing  varieties  and  species,  the  remains  of  extinct  races....  446 

Period  of  incubation  of  White  China  Goose 446 

Characteristics  of  this  variety — Eggs  of. 446 

WILD  GOOSE— Will  breed  with  the  Domestic 396 

Period  of  incubation 397 

WILD  FOWLS. — GALLUS  BANKIVA — Its  size 334 

Characteristics— Habitat 334 

GALLUS  FURCATUS — By  whom  first  described 334 

Characteristics— Habitat 334 

GALLUS  SONNERATII 335 

Erroneously  supposed  to  be  the  progenitor  of  our  Domestic 

Fowl 335 

Peculiarity  of  its  hackle-feathers 335 

Description  of  BankivaHen 336 

Peculiarity  of  the  neck-hackle  of  the  Bankiva  Cock 33T 


STEREOTYPED  BY  L.  JOHNSON  AND  CO. 

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